ONE BIG FAMILY

Laila.

At the van, the sympathetic man whom she liked more was still with the girl, still holding her to himself while the boy looked up at them.

“She's gone through too much already.” The newcomers heard him say. “To lose your full hearing and see a corpse so close to you in twenty four hours. Why did she leave the van?”

“To save you.” The black boy answered. “She was brave enough to think she could have.”

“She heard the gunshot?”

“She can only hear things said and done loud enough.”

“Oh yes, that is true.”

Again, the sympathetic man who she liked more planted a kiss on the girl's hair, cradling her in his arms before raising his head to look at them. “I think camping in the bunker until we can get help is the best thing we can do for now. We should get in as quickly as possible and shut ourselves in while I go to get some food for us all when we start running out of supplies.”

“What about me?” Laila heard the unsympathetic man ask.

“I promised to take care of the children, or did I