Parish Read Free

love you too.  Bye.” Jack hung up the phone and turned slowly to address his children.  “That was your mother.  The president was telling the truth.  We can’t leave here.”
                  “Is mom okay?” Wade asked, thundering towards his Dad.
                  “Yeah, yeah, she’s fine.  It’s uh…it’s at the hospital though.” Jack swallowed hard, plopping his weight down onto the couch and running his hands through his graying hair.
                  “She needs to leave!” Wren shrieked.  “What are we going to do?”
                  “Relax!” Jack cried.  “We have to stay here.  We’re safe in the house.  Your mom told me we need to stay put.  She’ll catch a ride with the National Guard once they get the hospital secured.  We’ll be alright, guys.  We’ll be alright.”
                  “What are zombies, Dad?” Jamie asked, looking up from under Wren’s arm.
                  “A zombie is a person who is dead and then comes back and eats people who are alive.” Wade spat out.
                  “They EAT people?” Jamie’s eyes grew large as his lip began to quiver, tears followed soon after.
                  “Why would you tell him that?” Jack pushed by Wade to stoop down in front of Jamie.
                  “Hey, guy.” Jack reached out and took both of Jamie’s’ hands.
                  “Dad, are they going to eat us?”
                  “No, buddy.  I would never let anything bad happen to you or to your brother or sister.” Jack shook his head slowly as he removed his glasses.  “We’ll be okay, we just have to follow the instructions that the police and military are going to give us.”
                  “All the good guys?  They’ll protect us too, right?” Jamie began to chew the skin of his thumb.
                  “You bet, bud.  All of the good guys will be out to fight the monsters and to keep us safe.” Jamie threw his arms around his Dad’s neck and hugged him tight.
                  “Whoa, guys you should look outside.  I guess people decided they shouldn’t listen to the president.” Wade had the curtain pulled back from the window and was turning his head flush against the glass in an attempt to look both ways down their street.
                  “Get away from the window!” Jack hollered.  He was staring down at his feet as he lifted his glasses and rubbed the palm of his hand over his face.  “I just have to think for a minute.”
                  “Dad, shouldn’t we, like, I don’t know cover the windows or something?” Wren asked.  She was sitting on the edge of the couch, her arms wrapped around Jamie who had his face buried in her shoulder.
                  “Yeah, cover the windows.  Okay, damn…with what?” Jack began to frantically look around.
                  “It’s bad, just use the dining room table and stuff, tear the doors off the hinges from the doors in here and nail them up.” Wade turned from the window and looked back at his family.  “Even if the zombies don’t get us, we have to defend against looters.”
                  “Alright, good plan son!  Come on, help me.  Wren, you and Jamie gather up all the candles and flashlights.  Uhh…fill the tub and sink with water and gather up batteries, well, just grab anything that you think we can use.” Jack ran to the closet in the hall, violently pulling out his beat up hunter green tool bag.
                  “Come on, Jaime.” Wren stood up and pulled the small boy by his hand.  He wiped the snot bubbling from his nose with the back of his free hand as he followed his sister into the kitchen. 
                  “Hurry, Dad!” Wade cried as he grabbed a screw driver from the open bag, running he