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."So far, so good," Carl muttered.Fanning out, they checked the ground floor and left the upper levels unexplored.Instead they barricaded each of the doors to the stairways to ensure if there was something up above, it couldn't come down.The rooms were all locked.Tapping and calling at the doors didn't summon any survivors from within.Lila imagined that in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, the motel had probably been pretty empty to start with.Everyone met back in the lobby where Derrick and Joe had locked and barricaded the front doors."Guess we have free run of the place," Deb announced."Let's get a keg and throw a party.""There are mini-bars in the rooms," Sondra pointed out, not quite registering the sarcasm."We could collect a bunch and have a drink by the pool."Pool.The very word conjured heavenly images of bright summer days and cool water washing over her skin.Lila thought the only more beautiful words right now would be "hot shower".They got key cards from the registration desk and chose a block of rooms right by the pool and the breakfast room.The milk in the mini fridge had gone bad, but there were stale yet edible bagels and muffins and boxes of dried cereal.Apples, tangerines and brown-skinned bananas added fresh fruit to their meal."My God, I never thought I'd love Raisin Bran," Julie crunched a handful of dry cereal.Juice boxes made fine mixers for the little bottles of rum and vodka they liberated from the mini-bars in a few of the rooms.Sondra played bar tender and mixed drinks for everyone.Lila took muffins, fruit and juice to Joe and Ari, who were guarding the front.They kept the indoor lights off as nighttime spread over the city."I'll take your place for a while," she told Joe."The others are going to clean up in the pool after they're done eating.Go ahead.I'll take a turn later." She tried to convince herself she didn't make the offer with any ulterior motive—like spending some time alone with Ari keeping watch, and later in the pool.An image of them having a swim in the intimate dark long after the others had gone to their rooms floated in her mind.Was it wrong to want that in the midst of death and destruction? Maybe.Did she care? Hell, no.If they weren't going to make it out of this alive, she at least wanted one good memory to see her through at the end."You sure?" Joe asked."Oh yeah.Go take it easy.I think Sondra's got a juice box cocktail with your name on it."After Joe was gone, she took his seat by the window.Her leg bumped against Ari's as she slid into the chair beside him.That slight, accidental touch set off a crazy hormone attack.She felt their embrace from earlier imprinted on her body, remembered the last few mornings when she'd woken pressed against him, and relived the few kisses they'd shared.None of that was enough.She wanted more now."Anything interesting out there tonight?" she asked."Nothing but a few rats scavenging and that's about as interesting as I want it to get."They lapsed into silence for a bit, while Ari polished off the food she'd brought him, but it was a comfortable silence, the kind old friends shared rather than the awkward pauses of a first date."What day is this? Friday?" she asked."If it was a normal Friday night, what would you be doing?""Mm, I don't know what's a 'normal' Friday night anymore.If you'd asked me that back in high school or the summer after, I guess the answer would have been partying with friends, getting too drunk, hitting on girls, maybe going home with one.While I was in basic, we didn't get leave most Fridays, so we'd play poker or pool on the base in our free time.Since I've been home again," he paused."Well, it's only been about a month, but everything feels different.I thought I'd go back to old routine, hanging with my boys, but I don't know, I've felt kind of out of it.Like, I want something different now, you know?""I get that," Lila said."The summer after my freshman year of college, I was so looking forward to going home to Ohio and seeing my friends again, but it wasn't the same there anymore.I wasn't the same.""What'd you do?""Worked at my uncle's car dealership and waited for a new school year to start.I'm not saying I didn't have some good times with my old friends, or enjoy some parties, but my heart wasn't in it and I was just marking time.When I got off the plane in New York at the end of summer, I felt like I was coming home at last."They talked a little more about what their plans and dreams had been before everything fell apart.They talked about movies, music, stand-up comics, favorite foods, family squabbles, anything except zombies for once.When Deb and Julie came to relieve them from their duty, Julie's auburn hair was still damp from her swim and hung lank around her face.Deb's braids had shed the water like sealskin and remained in beautiful, wild profusion.The women's hands were clasped together as they approached across the lobby.Lila thought how comforting it would be to be together with your loved one while going through this crisis—but frightening too, seeing her in danger and wanting to protect her at all costs.Deb and Julie were lucky to have each other."The water's cold but it feels great," Julie announced."And everyone else is pretty much finished so you should have it all to yourselves." She smiled and winked at Lila.Lila felt her cheeks grow warm and willed herself to stop blushing.There was no shame in having a fling, or whatever she was having with Ari.But she hated everyone knowing and talking about it.It was like being in middle school and having rumors flying through the class before a couple had even finished the note-passing stage of their courtship.The pool room was as dim as the rest of the building and the pool itself was an ominous, flat, black sheet.Lila imagined frightening things under that dark surface waiting to grab and pull under anyone foolish enough to dare to enter the water.She shook off her paranoia.A few of the others were still in the room.Derrick was helping Ronnie dry her hair, while Gloria put a fresh diaper on Ian.Sondra stood looking at the hot tub and combing her straight, black hair.She brightened and smiled when she saw them—saw Ari, Lila corrected herself.Sondra hadn't been too subtle in her attempts to get close to him over the past few days, asking him specifically to look at her ankle, leaning on him or offering him coffee and coy looks."Hey guys.The water's nice." Sondra took off the towel wrapped around her body to reveal a trim waist and blood red bra and panties that hugged her curves."Maybe I'll take another dip with you."Gloria snapped Ian's onesie and lifted him in her arms."Sondra, don't be dense.Leave them alone." She gave Lila a pointed look."Sondra will be rooming with me."Good God, even Mrs.Patton knew about their flirtation.Lila was embarrassed but grateful to Gloria for helping her out.She felt more of a connection with the quiet, mourning woman than she had since meeting her as Gloria gave her a brief smile before ushering the others from the room.Sondra pouted but went with her leaving Lila and Ari alone in the empty, echoing pool room with not even the hum of a pump to disturb the quiet.Ari took off his shoes and socks and tested the water with one foot."Well…I guess people have, uh, some expectations about us.""Guess so." Lila played with the hem of her tank top, not quite ready to pull it off in front of him."Wonder where they got those ideas."He smiled."Are they wrong?"She shrugged and played it loose."Time will tell
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