Don't Let Go by Michelle Gagnon Read Free Book Online Page B

Wrinkling her nose, she shoved aside the moldy fast-food wrappers cluttering the countertop to make room for the grocery bags.
    Like the other places they’d squatted in, the electricity and water were shut off. So they only bought prepared foods that could be eaten without reheating, and that wouldn’t go bad sitting out overnight. Usually, that translated into power bars; but tonight’s dinner smelled delicious. Peter’s mouth watered as Daisy dug out a rotisserie chicken. He never would’ve thought it was possible to get sick of hamburgers, fries, and shakes; but he actually fantasized about cauliflower now.
    Suddenly starving, Peter opened the package and tore a leg off the chicken. He took a big bite and practically moaned with appreciation.
    Daisy smiled at him. “Good, right?”
    “Yeah,” he said while chewing. “Freakin’ fantastic.”
    “We’ll have to finish it tonight, it won’t keep.” Her brow wrinkled as she surveyed the rest of their purchases. “Maybe we should have gotten a half chicken instead.”
    “Trust me, we’ll finish it.” Peter devoured the drumstick in a few bites. Then he pulled off a chunk of breast meat, shoving it into his mouth as fast as he could chew it.
    “Dude, leave some for the rest of us,” Teo protested.
    Peter wiped his hands on his jeans. “Go ahead.”
    As Daisy nibbled on a wing, she called out, “Noa? You hungry?”
    No answer. They all exchanged a look; no one had to say it, they’d all noticed that she’d barely been eating.
    Another conversation he needed to have with her. But that would definitely escalate into a fight, and he wasn’t up for that.
    His appetite suddenly gone, Peter motioned for Teo to follow him to the back of the apartment.
    It took the better part of an hour to punch holes through the neighboring apartments. For the most part, he and Teo worked in silence, only exchanging a few words when trying to decide which wall to hit next. They were lucky this time; they punctured a water pipe in the third apartment, but it was empty and not a single drip leaked out.
    “Remember Boise?” Teo said, letting the hammer hang by his side as he stared at the exposed pipe.
    “Oh, yeah,” Peter chuckled. That had been the first time they’d tried to punch through drywall, and neither of them had had a clue how buildings were constructed. Through sheer dumb luck, they’d made it through two walls. But in the third apartment, they’d hit a gas line, and the place had immediately filled with noxious fumes. They’d had to quickly relocate to another building in the complex, praying the entire time that a stray spark wouldn’t cause an explosion. Noa hadn’t been pleased then, either, Peter thought, his smile fading.
    Teo used his hammer to knock out dangling chunks of drywall. “If we open it up down here,” he noted, “we can duck through. Maybe if we’re being chased, the pipe will catch them in the head.”
    “Maybe,” Peter acknowledged. “We’ll have to make sure to tell the girls about it, though.”
    “Right. She’s different, huh?” Teo said without meeting his eyes. He carefully knocked away more drywall, widening the hole to about three feet in circumference.
    “Who?” Peter said, playing dumb.
    Teo swiped an arm across his cheek, smearing the dust. “Noa.”
    Peter shrugged. “I guess. I don’t know. I mean, we only spent a few days together before this.”
    “Well, she’s different from when I met her, but that was for just a few days, too. Then Santa Cruz happened. I’ll go first.” Teo edged carefully through the hole, then extended a hand back to help Peter through.
    After stepping inside, Peter straightened. This apartment was marginally nicer than the one where they’d left the girls; not as much black mold, and less trash scattered across the floor. “Maybe we should move in here.”
    Teo scanned the room. “It doesn’t have a view of the street, though.”
    “Not sure that matters,” Peter countered.