Born 01 - Born

farmhouse again. Just like my dad taught me. I was excited when I saw the gates. I was so stupid. I thought being with other survivors would be better for me. I went in and begged for food from a lady. She laughed at me."
    I feel my air getting trapped in my throat. The shame filling me is my punishment. I deserve it.
    "I went out her door and sat in the narrow alley near the back of the houses. I was hidden by a bunch of old buckets and garbage. The lady and her daughter were walking around the back with bags of stuff. Some men came. They started tearing at them. They stripped them and hurt them."
    I choke slightly on my next sentence, "I ran into the store and stole as much food as I could carry. I ran and gorged myself in the back of her store. I could still hear her screaming, and I did nothing. I ate."
    He squeezes me and kisses the top of my forehead. I stare into his black t-shirt that’s soaked with sweat.
    "You're kind of bad at story telling. I sort of wanted to go to sleep. Now I think I'll never sleep again."
    I laugh. I laugh with him. It kills the moment of suffering I deserve.
    He kisses my forehead again. "Do you have anything lighter? I don’t want that to be the last thing I think about when I die."
    I laugh again, but this time I want to cry. He's dying. I know this. Instead of me leaving him, he's leaving me, and it hurts.
    "I have one memory of my mother. She was in the hospital bed. I was two years old. She looked like me, dark blonde hair and green eyes, but she was really pretty. Her lips always looked like she was pushing them out."
    "Duck lips."
    I frown, "What?"
    He laughs. "They were called duck lips back then."
    "Oh. Well, she had those. She was in the bed and she let me climb up with her. I sat on her lap and we watched TV. It was a cartoon about dragons and some little Mexican kids."
    "Dragon Tails. I loved that show. LOVE IT." He speaks in a high pitch voice.
    It makes me smile. He remembers things so clearly.
    He nudges me. "What happened then?"
    I shake my head. "Nothing. We just sat in the sun on her bed. I remember how soft her nightie was, and she let me eat her pudding."
    "Yeah, okay, that is another bad example of storytelling."
    I want to defend myself, but I know it will only make him feel sorry for me.
    He smiles. "Once when I was six, me and Will went and played down by the river behind our house. Our mom was really strict about it and never let us go down there. We figured 'cause Will was old enough to babysit, we were good. We brought boats we made out of newspaper. We went to the edge of the river and pushed the boats in. They floated perfectly until mine flipped over. I reached for it before it got too far away and of course fell in. Will grabbed me before I got pulled away. I would have drowned for sure. We ran back to the house but we were too long getting home and Mom was there already. We snuck in the backyard. I thought we were dead, but Will grabbed the hose from the side of the house and sprayed me. Mom came out the back door at that moment. So she walks to the backyard to see Will hosing and me screaming. He got grounded for a week for being a bully. He was the best brother ever."
    A weird feeling overtakes the other feelings I have. I am jealous that I don’t have a single story like that one.
    I look into his eyes and feel lost. I feel like I'm part of them.
    He smirks. "That is a story, jackass."
    I frown at him.
    He lifts my chin and presses his warm lips to mine.
    I love it.
    I love him.
    His warmth rushes through me. His lips part mine. His tongue caresses my lips softly.
    He pulls back, but I want more. I watch him pull away.
    He smiles. "You're supposed to close your eyes, Emma."
    I blush. "I liked that."
    He laughs. "It was on my list of things to do before I die."
    His words sting.
    I snarl at him. "You haven’t ever kissed a girl before?"
    He shakes his head. "Not a girl I really like."
    I blush harder. "Your fever is making you crazy."
    "Good." He pulls me back and kisses me until I'm dizzy.

Chapter Nine

    The sunlight coming in the window blinds me as I wake up disoriented. I shiver from the cold breeze that’s coming from down the hall. I notice I am still laying on Jake. I smile, thinking about the night before, but stop when I notice his shirt is soaked in cold sweat. His skin is clammy and cold.
    Tears stream down my cheeks. "No. No." I push on him. His body compresses against my push, but he doesn’t stir.
    "Emma, what is it?" Anna comes