Odd Woman Out

“Shh…” It was a whispered plea that broke quickly through the muted murmurs.

We could hear them outside, banging up against the corrugated aluminum walls, the sound echoing around us. Had the hushed voices called to them, signaled the living were close?

The faces around me where streaked with mud and even worse, the rotting blood of the dead inhabiting this broken world with us. All eyes were wide, startled into quiet submission, waiting for the moment they could let their collective guard down for a moment and breath in a silent sigh of relief.

The noise traveled around them as the dead moved past them, their route punctuated by the thudding of dead limbs on the siding. After a few moments of relative silence, the sound around them changed, the knocking louder, accompanied by the sound of panicked words.

“Let me in! They’re coming back!” It was woman, her voice frantic, the words hushed but strident.

A sea of faces turned to me, their eyes searching my face for any clue as to what I was thinking. Would I let her in and risk them all, or would I dub her the newest odd woman out?

© 2019 Julianne Snow