Chapter Five
Into The Basement
"Robbie?" came a familiar voice.
Robbie descended the stairs two at a time, jumping down into the hallway with a soft thud. He was abruptly faced with the sight of Claire Freidman and her mother standing in the porch. They both looked extremely tired. He adjusted his baseball cap and tried not to gape at them. When he had heard the knock at the door, he had been fully expecting to see his mother and Tim on the doorstep, and he felt a pang of disappointment as he realised that he and Rachel were still stuck with Ray. His spirits lifted slightly at the expression on Claire's face, however. She was looking at him with a grin of recognition.
"Claire," he said in greeting, stepping up behind Rachel. His younger sister looked slightly morose. She had obviously been expecting the visitors to be their mother and Tim, too. Robbie placed a hand on her shoulder and glanced up at his dad, noticing the mixture of pure astonishment and slight confusion on Ray's face. Robbie met Claire's gaze again, wondering how they had ended up here, of all places.
"Uh... hi," Sarah said, dropping the bags she was carrying at her feet. "This... I mean... I did not expect to find you here." She gave a hesitant laugh, and shook her head. "We were just next door, at Claire's friend Madison's house. They aren't at home, though."
"We saw your lights and thought we'd see who lived here," Claire added.
Sarah blinked. "Well, you thought we would, Claire." She shot Ray an apologetic glance. "I tried to stop her."
"That's... that's okay," he replied, still looking a little shell-shocked. "Uh... this is my ex-wife Mary-Anne's house. The kids live here." His expression became guarded, and he did not say any more.
Robbie looked back at the two women and gently pulled Rachel to one side. "Do you guys have anywhere to stay the night?" he asked, giving Ray a lightning-quick glance. He hoped his dad wouldn't refuse them shelter. With those machines on the loose it would be dangerous to sleep out in the open, and he didn't want Claire to come to any harm. She was the only person his age he'd seen for days, and even though they had only spoken for a couple of minutes so far, he had immediately liked her. Sarah seemed like a nice enough person, too, and was pretty attractive for an older woman. He was surprised Ray hadn't tried it on with her yet. They had to have been living next door to each for over a year. But then again, thought Robbie, almost every woman on the planet seemed to have some kind of problem with Ray. The man was an asshole. Everyone said so.
"Well, Madison's door was locked," Claire said, "otherwise we could have stayed there." She looked at Ray hopefully.
Robbie was surprised when his dad pulled the door open a fraction more, and stepped to the side. "Come inside," he said, giving the street outside a dark look. "It's pretty safe out here, I think, but it's best to stay together."
"Thank you," Sarah said, offering him a genuine smile. Robbie and Rachel retreated into the sitting room with Claire, leaving Ray and Sarah out in the hall. Robbie knew the adults probably wanted to discuss their situation, and did not want Rachel overhearing and getting scared. Ray gave his son a grateful look as he shut the sitting room door, and immediately Sarah's hushed voice issued from behind it, her words muffled and incomprehensible.
Robbie turned to look at Claire, who was in the process of introducing herself to Rachel. The girl was still wearing the jacket she'd had on that afternoon, when Robbie had almost run her over in his dad's car. She had exchanged her sneakers for sturdy boots, however, and her short hair was tied back into a ponytail.
"Gum?" she said, offering both the Ferriers a piece. Robbie took one, but Rachel declined solemnly, saying that it would ruin her teeth. Claire looked at Robbie and suppressed a smile. "I think it's sugarless," she said, checking the packet, but Rachel just shook her head. The younger girl then wandered over to the window and pulled back the curtains, staring out at the empty road. Robbie could tell she was keeping watch for their mother.
Claire had taken a seat on the couch, and Robbie flopped down next to her. "She's going through a bit of a health freak phase," he explained, taking off his baseball cap and chucking it onto the coffee table. "Today Ray told her to get her own dinner, and she ordered hummus."
Claire laughed. It was a pleasant sound; nothing like the loud cackles of the girls in his class.
"What school do you go to?" he asked, with the intention of striking up a conversation with her. Robbie had never really been shy around females, and he definitely wanted to get to know Claire better. She seemed like an interesting, easy-going person, just like him. It was almost as though they matched. In any other situation, he would have considered coming on to her... but he felt it would be a little tactless in these circumstances. People were dying out there.
Besides, he thought, she probably had a boyfriend.
"I'm sorry," Sarah said, as soon as the kids disappeared behind the sitting room door. "This is really awkward. I tried to stop Claire disturbing you, but she was too fast."
"It's no problem," Ray replied, running his hands through his hair. He shot her a tight smile. "The kids will be glad to have some company, trust me."
Sarah sighed tiredly and turned to pick up her bags. She brought them into the hall, placing them on the staircase temporarily. "Well, if you're sure it's okay," she said. "I guess it's better to stay in a group. Safety in numbers, right?"
Ray made a noncommittal noise. He seemed rather preoccupied, but it was understandable. The emergence of the machines seemed to have left everyone somewhat numb. To be truthful, Sarah was infinitely glad that they had run into the Ferriers. She wouldn't admit it to Ray, but she was scared. She was sure Claire was too, underneath her cheerful exterior. Of course, Sarah still hadn't fully digested the fact that alien invaders were attacking the planet. She was still holding on to the hope that the enemies were terrorists. A voice in the back of her mind told her that she was in denial, but so far she had been able to ignore it fairly successfully.
Despite the fact that she was glad to be with people she knew, there was still the issue of Ray himself. After he had helped her back at the intersection, she had been forced to reconsider her view of him as an asshole. She supposed he wasn't all that bad. If he started acting like he had done in the yard that afternoon, though, she wasn't sure she would be able to keep her temper in check.
"Are you hungry?" Ray said, interrupting her train of thought. Sarah tried to recall when she and Claire had last eaten. The incident at the intersection had happened before dinner, so that meant neither of them had had anything to eat since lunch. As though it had heard Ray, Sarah's stomach rumbled slightly.
"Sure," she replied, "if it isn't too much trouble. Will your ex-wife mind?"
"I doubt it," he said, moving towards the kitchen. Sarah followed him, wondering whether the family had any eggs in the refrigerator. She could easily cook omelettes for the five of them.
The omelette idea went down well. Sarah and Ray wolfed theirs down in the kitchen, while the kids ate in the sitting room. The television was working, but the news broadcasts were intermittent and vague. An hour later, Ray switched the set off and flicked off the ground floor lights.
"We'll sleep in the basement," he said, and there was a hint of finality in his tone that said, 'no arguments'. Sarah was a little surprised - she did not think the machines would find their way out into the suburbs - but she could see that it was a sensible decision. If the attackers did come upon this particular street, the five humans were sure to be safe below the ground. She hoped they would be, at least.
They trooped down into the basement clutching pillows and bedcovers. Sarah was impressed at the size of the place; there was even a mini-gym at the back of the room. Ray looked a little chagrined as he spotted the expensive fitness equipment, and he seemed to throw himself into the armchair under the stairs a little too violently. Robbie, Claire and Rachel settled down on the other side of the partition, making a sort of nest with the bedding. Sarah was left standing by the staircase grasping a small pillow, searching for somewhere to sleep.
Ray noticed her after a moment, and stood up hesitantly. "Take the chair, Sarah," he said, gesturing to it. "I'll get one from the kitchen."
She walked over, one eyebrow quirked. The kitchen chairs were comfortable enough to sit in, but not to sleep in. She flopped down into the armchair, scooting up to one side of it. "Thanks," she said. "There's room for two on here, though. You can't sleep in a kitchen chair; it would be an absolute nightmare."
Ray hovered indecisively for a moment, evidently torn between having to put himself in close proximity to Sarah and having to spend the night sleeping on a spindly wooden chair, or the floor. Eventually he chose the former option. He sat down gingerly next to her, reaching back to adjust the cushions behind him. Sarah kicked her shoes off and drew her knees up to rest against the arm of the chair. She hugged the pillow to her chest and tried to relax, feeling Ray shift awkwardly next to her. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that her back was pressed up against his left arm. After several long minutes, exhaustion overcame her, and she drifted into a deep sleep.
