matter's is that you're okay."
"Okay? What happened to me?"
He squeezed his wife's hands. "You really don't remember anything?"
"Of course not."
John thought a bit more about the risk. "What the last thing you remember?" It seemed like the safest place to start.
His wife took a moment to think about it. "I think I remember getting dinner ready."
"That's right," he said. "Yo u wer e getting dinner ready. What about after that?"
She shook her head. "Nothing, John. I don't remember. Please tell me."
He could see her look of concern start to turn into fear. He wanted to avoid that. "All right," he said. "I'll tell you." He squeezed her hands again. "Do you remember hearing a crash outside?"
"No."
"You were getting dinner ready when we heard it. I went to the window to see what was happening. You told me I shouldn't have. That we needed to call the police."
"The police?"
"It was bad out there." He explained a bit of the destruction he had seen outside. "You were telling me that 911 wasn't working when a man broke in through the front window. He chased us downstairs. Remember?"
"No, John, I don't."
From the sound of his wife's voice, he felt another pang of worry that she was going to go back into shock, but he kept on. "I was able to lock the door and he couldn't get through. Then later that night you saw…" Again, he wasn't sure how much he should say.
"Saw who?"
He decided to go through with it. "When you saw Mr. Williams."
"Mr. Williams? Our neighbour?"
John nodded. "He came to the window over there. You almost touched him."
Alice turned to look at the window and saw the fresh blood running down the wall. She gasped. "Is that his? Is he dead?"
"Yes, he's dead." John said. "But that isn't his."
His wife gasped again. "Then whose is it?"
"One of thos e thing s ."
" Things ? "
"The people who turned."
"Oh, John." Now it was Alice's turn to squeeze her husband's hands. "I don't understand what's going on. Why can't I remember any of it?"
John didn’t know. "Maybe that's a good thing that you can't remember," he said. "None of it was very nice to see."
His wife didn't look convinced. "I just don't understand how something like that could’ve happened."
John had no idea why his wife had stopped responding to anything. Nor did he know how she snapped out of it so suddenly. Yet he wasn't about to question it. His wife was back and that was all that mattered. "Let's not worry about it right now," he said.
"But, John…"
"It'll be okay."
Alice let out a deep breath and lowered her head. She stopped speaking.
"Alice?" John asked.
His wife didn't reply.
John couldn't help but worry that his wife had slipped back into her trance. "Alice!" He let go of her hands and grabbed her shoulders. "Speak to me."
Alice looked up. There were tears in her eyes. "Why can't I remember any of it?"
"It's okay." He wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry about it. Everything's going to be fine." He kissed the top of her head.
"Is it really?" she asked, her words muffled against his shoulder.
"Yes, it is."
Chapter 11
No one moved while Alice kept her face pressed against her husband. Scooter and Julie were surprised that the old woman had woken up. Marianne was still trying to piece everything together. Even Buster stared at the old couple, his ears dropped and mouth closed. Though they didn't have to wait very long.
Alice raised her head and looked at John. He smiled, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. Then she turned to face the others. She wiped the tears from her eyes and pressed down the front of her shirt, hoping to straighten herself up.
"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just…well, it's a bit...overwhelming."
"You don't need to apologize," Julie said. "We're just happy that you're doing better."
Alice let out a short laugh. "I don't know if this is what you'd cal l doing bette r ." She patted down the top of her hair. "Now where are my manners?" She stood up from the mattress. She
"Okay? What happened to me?"
He squeezed his wife's hands. "You really don't remember anything?"
"Of course not."
John thought a bit more about the risk. "What the last thing you remember?" It seemed like the safest place to start.
His wife took a moment to think about it. "I think I remember getting dinner ready."
"That's right," he said. "Yo u wer e getting dinner ready. What about after that?"
She shook her head. "Nothing, John. I don't remember. Please tell me."
He could see her look of concern start to turn into fear. He wanted to avoid that. "All right," he said. "I'll tell you." He squeezed her hands again. "Do you remember hearing a crash outside?"
"No."
"You were getting dinner ready when we heard it. I went to the window to see what was happening. You told me I shouldn't have. That we needed to call the police."
"The police?"
"It was bad out there." He explained a bit of the destruction he had seen outside. "You were telling me that 911 wasn't working when a man broke in through the front window. He chased us downstairs. Remember?"
"No, John, I don't."
From the sound of his wife's voice, he felt another pang of worry that she was going to go back into shock, but he kept on. "I was able to lock the door and he couldn't get through. Then later that night you saw…" Again, he wasn't sure how much he should say.
"Saw who?"
He decided to go through with it. "When you saw Mr. Williams."
"Mr. Williams? Our neighbour?"
John nodded. "He came to the window over there. You almost touched him."
Alice turned to look at the window and saw the fresh blood running down the wall. She gasped. "Is that his? Is he dead?"
"Yes, he's dead." John said. "But that isn't his."
His wife gasped again. "Then whose is it?"
"One of thos e thing s ."
" Things ? "
"The people who turned."
"Oh, John." Now it was Alice's turn to squeeze her husband's hands. "I don't understand what's going on. Why can't I remember any of it?"
John didn’t know. "Maybe that's a good thing that you can't remember," he said. "None of it was very nice to see."
His wife didn't look convinced. "I just don't understand how something like that could’ve happened."
John had no idea why his wife had stopped responding to anything. Nor did he know how she snapped out of it so suddenly. Yet he wasn't about to question it. His wife was back and that was all that mattered. "Let's not worry about it right now," he said.
"But, John…"
"It'll be okay."
Alice let out a deep breath and lowered her head. She stopped speaking.
"Alice?" John asked.
His wife didn't reply.
John couldn't help but worry that his wife had slipped back into her trance. "Alice!" He let go of her hands and grabbed her shoulders. "Speak to me."
Alice looked up. There were tears in her eyes. "Why can't I remember any of it?"
"It's okay." He wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry about it. Everything's going to be fine." He kissed the top of her head.
"Is it really?" she asked, her words muffled against his shoulder.
"Yes, it is."
Chapter 11
No one moved while Alice kept her face pressed against her husband. Scooter and Julie were surprised that the old woman had woken up. Marianne was still trying to piece everything together. Even Buster stared at the old couple, his ears dropped and mouth closed. Though they didn't have to wait very long.
Alice raised her head and looked at John. He smiled, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. Then she turned to face the others. She wiped the tears from her eyes and pressed down the front of her shirt, hoping to straighten herself up.
"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just…well, it's a bit...overwhelming."
"You don't need to apologize," Julie said. "We're just happy that you're doing better."
Alice let out a short laugh. "I don't know if this is what you'd cal l doing bette r ." She patted down the top of her hair. "Now where are my manners?" She stood up from the mattress. She
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