The Full House

The sound of the footsteps leaves the three of you frozen, aware that if things went badly, a fight would leave you all in states where you might not survive the hour, let alone until Bella arrives.

“Morning.” Heather’s expression is tired, but her voice is chipper enough that you assume she’s feeling well. “Heard voices.” Yawning, she rubs her eye, and you decide that the sight of the brunette in her slightly oversized blue hoodie and her tennis skirt is simply unfair. “What’s up?”

“Providing tools for personal protection against ugly bastards trying to **** you into blood-play, Sugar-tits.” Meg takes something else from her pile. “Here’s yours.” Heather blinks absently at the objects in her hands before starting.

“A pistol?” She looks at the satchel in her other hand. “And this is… for ammunition?”

“Yep.” Meg nods approvingly. “It’s one of the more precise designs I’ve made, but it’s also one that will hold up better for longer. With luck you won’t need it, but if you do, better to have the one you can actually use. I don’t think you could handle that one over there.” The weapon she indicates, a truly impressive monster with a pump-action and a flared barrel, is rested across the two duffel bags you had seen. You briefly stare in horror before returning your focus to the conversation.

“How did you even learn to make all of these?” The question leaves your mouth before you can even register you’re saying it.

“Tutorials and classes online, things like that.” Meg smiles slightly, a faraway look on her face. “My uncle is in the army, and he also taught me to strip and reassemble a couple of his guns. That’s what got me into how these babies work.”

“So, what are Alex and Charlie getting?” Heather’s curiosity seems tempered by fear.

“Barbell’s getting my baby there.” The blonde indicates the aforementioned monster with her thumb. “Basically a blunderbuss. One duffel’s for charges, the other’s ammo. He seems strong enough to use it.” She grins. “And Numbnuts is going to get one of my early projects.”

“That sounds ominous.” Sam is grinning a little.

“Nah. Just a little irony from me to him.” Meg turns to look up the stairwell. “Where are those walking bricks anyway?”

“Alex was outside his apartment when I was coming down.” Heather shrugs. “I think he was waiting for Charlie.” Then, you faintly what voices and footsteps coming down the stairs. “And there they are.”

“Want to bet that Charlie will be complaining about how he didn’t get any last night?” Sam’s grin is obvious even when she whispers in your ear.

“Depends on the bet.”

“Well….” You grin. Your idea is something of an investment, but you think it will pay off either way. “Are you saying he will?”

“Obviously.” The redhead’s breath is now becoming incredibly distracting against your ear.

“Then… loser has to do whatever the winner wants for one night when we reach someplace safe.” In the corner of your vision, you can see your girlfriend’s grin widen.

“Deal.” You hold back a flinch as you feel her bite your earlobe. She then drops away and leans against you, her face the picture of innocence.

“Charlie, bro, there are plenty of chicks. It’s not like you won’t find someone else.”

“That’s not even the point, Alex. The point is how it happened!”

“One night where you didn’t get some ass ain’t the end of the world man.” You are seriously beginning to wonder if your entire opinion of Alex is doomed to pendulum between respect and confusion.

“Does that count?” Sam raises an eyebrow. “Because it sounds a little like he’s complaining about it but also… not?”

“Um…. draw?” You honestly don’t know. This bet now feels like a missed opportunity, and you’re just confused.

“Ugh. Fine.” Sam crosses her arms under her breasts, and you’re **** out of your momentary hypnosis by your phone.

“It’s Bella.” The redhead breathes in sharply, and you answer the call. “Hello?”

“Michael! Thank god.” You hear what sounds like tires screeching. “You ready to go?”

“Uh…” You glance at the three oblivious members of your group. “Maybe? Depends on how many we can fit.” You see that Heather, Charlie and Alex are now paying attention, but you ignore it in favor of waiting for your sister’s answer.

“And how many am I to expect?” You can just hear the exasperation in her voice.

“Um... There’s me… my roommate… my other roommate… and three other people….” You trail off, your voice falling as you realize how ridiculous you sound.

“Six.” Her voice is devoid of inflection. “There are six of you.”

“Um, yeah?”

“... If they aren’t already, have them pack up. I’ll be there in a few minutes, quarter of an hour and we won’t have much time. Stay safe and wait for me to get there.” You think you hear an engine revving before she hangs up. As you stare at your phone, silence reigns in the entrance hall.

“Uh, dude?” Alex raises an eyebrow. “What was that?”

“It….” You breathe for a moment. “My sister is coming. She’s planning to take us somewhere safe.”

“Holy shit.” Heather is staring at you. “F-for real?”

“Yeah.”

The silence stretches again.

“Well!” Meg claps her hands, startling you. “Probably a good idea for you all to get your crap together then. When you’re down I’ll hand out your” she gestures to Alex and Charlie, “personal defence tools, eh?”

Heather lets out a jubilant whoop as she bounds up the stairs. Charlie is dragged by Alex, who pointedly ignores (or fails to notice) his friend’s grumbling.

When the three arrive downstairs, about ten minutes have passed. Heather is bouncing on the balls of her feet, her expression the brightest it’s been since the outbreak began. Meg holds the duffels out to Alex, who effortlessly slings them over his shoulders so the straps form an ‘x’ across his chest over his jacket.

“Now, you don’t put ammo in the thing that looks like a clip. That’s were the charges go. You use that measuring cup attached to that duffel to scoop ammo into the barrel.” Meg explains to the bemused young man, who takes all of this with remarkable grace. Looking into the ammunition duffel, he raises an eyebrow.

“Marbles?”

“The first prototype broke because the nails and broken glass I used caused damage to the barrel. I figured marbles would be decent replacements for lead balls.”

“Makes sense. They might shatter, too. Shrapnel type stuff.” Alex’s assertion makes Meg lean back slightly before nodding with an approving look.

“Quite.”

“And what about me?” Charlie was so quiet, sulking to one side the way he was, that you had almost forgotten his presence. Meg looks almost smug as she holds out what you think might be the single most apocalyptic-looking weapon you’ve ever seen to him.

It’s an axe. With sawblades cut to form the twin blades. And it looks like it’s barely holding together.

“This is yours.” Meg barely reacts as Charlie holds the proffered weapon, an incredulous and slightly offended look on his face at how slapdash it looks. But before he can object, you hear something outside.

Taking a deep breath and nodding to everyone except Charlie, you look outside.