VII - The Loud House
Lori inhaled and exhaled slowly in an effort to remove as much anxiety as possible as she stood on the sidewalk in front of her house. Bobby grabbed her hand and gave her a gentle and reassuring look. Then, they both stepped forward, approaching the house one step at a time.
The doorknob in the front door jiggled before rotating, allowing the door to be opened. The light from a flashlight lit up the living room as Lori entered the house. She instinctively flicked the light switch to the 'on' position, but the lights remained dark. The barricaded windows allowed almost no light inside, making the inside of the house pitch-black where the flashlight did not shine. She walked towards a lamp and pulled a string attached to it, causing it to turn on. The group walked inside the house, gazing around and indulging in the nostalgia that the house provided. The picture frames in the walls had no pictures. The couch was dusty. The TV was off. Cobwebs lingered in the corners of the floor and ceiling.
Lori walked into the kitchen, grabbing the candles from the top drawers. She pulled them out while taking a lighter out of the bottom drawers. She lit up the candles and placed them on the countertop next to the oven and the sink. She looked inside the sink, seeing dry cereal hanging still sitting inside a bowl that was situated on top of three other bowls. Then, she walked towards the refrigerator, though at the last second, decided to keep it closed.
"Babe… I gotta tell you something," said Bobby, prompting Lori to turn around. "My sister and I are going back to my old house for the night. We're going to eat dinner here but after that…"
"Okay," nodded Lori. "Come here tomorrow. We'll have breakfast here."
"O...kay. I thought you were going to feel hurt hearing that."
"I understand, Bobby. You and her want to go back home where you two can wait for your mother."
"You're sure you're up to sleeping alone?"
"Ronnie Anne has been without her mother for three years. And she needs her brother as well. I can handle a night or two alone. Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. I'm home."
"Okay," smiled Bobby.
Tim looked at Vonda, who was becoming as tall as him, though still shorter than her peers.
"I'm gonna grab some food from the pantry and serve your group some dinner," said Tim. "Wanna head home after I come back?"
"Actually, I was thinking we could eat here first," suggested Vonda. "Then, we can go home after."
"Sounds good. Guess what we're eating tonight?"
"Burpin' Burger with some vodka on the side? Awesome choice, Dad."
"Heh, nice try. We're eating canned spaghetti with meatballs. Tastes a lot better than it sounds."
"Lemme' come with. You're gonna need help carrying the cans, right?"
"I will. Thanks, Red."
Tim and Vonda headed out of the house, closing the door after exiting, leaving the group to themselves inside the house to settle in. Lori walked to the living room. Suddenly, the door opened again, causing her to reach for her revolver, though she did not draw it upon realizing that it was just Tim.
"I forgot to mention something— this house has running water, thanks to the Detroit River."
"It feels so good to be back home," said Lynn.
"However, our hot water is not unlimited. Keep your showers quick. Except for Luna. I would recommend a bath for her. You should help her, Carol."
"Oh, no, I-I think Sam could help her," nervously chuckled Carol. "I— she can handle Luna."
"'Kay. I'll be back soon. Settle in."
Tim closed the door. Lori turned around to see her group beginning to discuss who gets to take a shower first. As they began to debate further, she realized that she hasn't lifted her hand away from her revolver ever since Tim left. She was spooked by this realization and immediately pulled her hands away from her revolver. Instead, she reached for her flashlight and shined its light up the stairs as she began to walk upstairs, the rest of the group following her.
"So, we're just taking our rooms, right?" asked Luan.
"Duh, of course," said Lynn.
"Where's my room?" asked Lily.
The survivors all looked back at her, all expressing pity for the little girl.
"I can show you," said Lynn, grabbing Lily's hand.
Lori shined a flashlight onto the door to Lisa and Lily's room. Lynn opened it and tapped on a button on the side of Lisa's bed, activating a string of lava lamps at the end of the room. They were each a different color and the lumps inside it floated around freely.
"That was your bed," said Lynn, pointing at the baby crib, "but you're a big girl now, so you'll sleep in that other bed."
"Woah…" gasped Lily, staring at the lava lamps. "This… is Lisa's bed?"
"It was. Now, it's yours."
Lily's eyes lowered as she placed her hands on the cold pillow. The rest of the group scattered as they began to settle in at different rooms. Lily followed Lynn out of the room, not wanting to be left alone.
Lincoln opened the closet door, already having an eager smile on his face. However, his smile quickly turned into a frightened gasp as he saw a spider crawl across the floor. Ronnie Anne yelped as she backed away. Clyde, however, stepped on the spider with his metal foot, killing it.
"I'm sorry, buddy," Clyde whispered.
"Thanks, Clyde."
"No problem, Lincoln. Anything for a… roommate?"
"Of course," said Lincoln. "My room is your room."
"Awesome."
The door to Luna and Luan's room was opened by Benny. He entered the room with Luan, the latter turning on a lamp on the nightstand next to the beanbag. She removed her backpack and dropped it into the ground before plopping herself onto the beanbag.
"Oh, man, this feels so good," mumbled Luan.
"Just for tonight… me and Sam are taking the bottom bunk," said Luna.
"You're both bottoming? How does that work?"
"Dude, you're such a weirdo."
"Says the sapphic couple in my bed."
"We're not gonna do anything, dude."
"I know, I'm just pulling your leg. Your good leg."
"Ugh," groaned Luna before facing Sam. "Most annoying roommate ever."
Sam let out a soft giggle while Luan and Benny snorted with laughter in the back. She then looked out to see Simon exiting the room. As the couple continued laughing and as Luna sat down on the bed, Sam took a step out of the room and looked at the hallways, seeing Simon walk into one of the rooms that was lit from the inside. She walked over to the room before looking inside, seeing Simon standing in the middle of the room, staring at Lana— whose eyes were glued to her twin sister's pink bed. Sam and Simon stayed quiet as they both saw Lana sniffling to herself. Suddenly, Simon tapped on Lana's shoulders.
"Sorry for interrupting," said Simon. "I just… wanted to know if I could sleep here."
"What?" whispered Lana. "In my room?"
"Yeah, in that bed. Only if that's okay with you."
"But that bed is pink. And glittery. And it's got a lot of fluffy animals."
Simon raised his eyebrows, expecting Lana to make a point. But a point was never made, not to his understanding.
"I mean… sure," said Lana. "If that's okay with Sam."
"It is," announced Sam, making her presence known.
"Okay," said Lana. "You can take Lola's… that bed."
Simon nodded before dropping his backpack onto the carpeted floor. He then looked to see Sam standing against the door, her arms crossed, with a smile on her face. He smiled back.
Lori opened the door to her room. She, Carol, and Becky walked in, not being able to see anything except for what the flashlight showed. Lori walked around a familiar bed and reached for the nightstand between the two beds in the room. She turned on the lamp, revealing the neatly-folded clothes yet messy cluster of shoes in the closet, ruffled blankets, and an AC attached to the window.
"Wow," gasped Becky. "It's been a while since I've been up here. You still have the Boyz Will Be Boyz poster up there? Oh, man."
"What I would give to go to one of their concerts right now," said Carol.
"Seriously?" Becky scoffed playfully. "I'd never be caught dead in one of their concerts."
"What? They're cute. Or were…"
Lori saw the turquoise-colored sandals hiding in the shadow under her late sister's bed. She then glanced at the bed before turning around, looking at her own bed. The temptation to sit on it was almost irresistible, until she thought about the questions that Melissa asked her earlier. The questions still lingered in her head and she tried to come up with more answers, despite the interview already being over for her.
"You can sleep here, Carol," said Lori, motioning her hand towards her bed. "And Becky… you can sleep in the other bed."
"No, I really shouldn't," remarked Carol. "You deserve to sleep in your own bed tonight."
"You can't sleep in my parents' room. And I don't want you to sleep on the couch— you've done too much to deserve that."
"I could take the couch— it'd be a good place to keep watch," said Becky.
"Thank you, but no one is taking watch tonight. You're not guests here. You're welcome to sleep here. I… want you two to sleep here. I… I can't. Not yet."
"Not ready?"
Lori shook her head.
"I get it, Lori. Carol and I will sleep here."
Lori nodded quickly before turning around and stepping out of the room. Having held back her tears inside the room, now she released them outside the room, allowing a slow stream of teardrops to fall from her eyes. She wiped her eyes as she saw Lynn walk out of her room and into Lily's room. After a few seconds, the light from the room was turned off as Lynn walked out.
"Lily hasn't eaten yet," said Lori.
"None of us have," remarked Lynn.
"Is she asleep already?"
"No, she's just chilling in my room. She wants to sleep there— not in her room."
"Why?"
"She said she didn't wanna be by herself in there. So I'm gonna let her sleep in Lucy's bed."
"Okay. That's fine. I think it's better that way."
"Agreed. By the way, your hubby went into the shower without a towel."
"I'll get a towel."
The front door of the house creaked as a surge of cool air flowed inside. Lori grabbed her revolver, unholstering it as she turned her flashlight around, and moved to the stairs.
"Everyone ready to eat?" asked Vonda.
Lori sighed as she placed the revolver inside her holster. She looked at Lynn again, who seemed concerned.
"Man, you good?" asked Lynn.
"Force of habit," sighed Lori. "Let's go eat. Oh, wait— the towel."
The group began to come down the stairs as Tim and Vonda set down the closed plastic containers that contained spaghetti and meatballs, plastic plates, plastic cups, a gallon of water, and plastic forks on the kitchen table. Then, they opened the plastic containers up, releasing the steam that came from the heated food.
"Wow, this smells good," commented Benny.
The group took their seat by the kitchen table, though Becky and Carol remained standing with plates on their hands, and Sam and Luna remained upstairs, both of them eating together in their room. Lori and Bobby walked downstairs hand in hand, with the former still appearing grimey, with the exception of her hands, and the latter glowing with clear skin and wet hair— however, he still wore his dirty clothes.
"So earlier, that woman— Melissa, I think— said that the physician wasn't here now," mentioned Ronnie Anne. "She means my mom, right?"
"Yeah," answered Tim.
"Well, where is she?"
"She and Carlitos are in Auburn Hills. Bruna got hurt, so your mother wants to stay to keep an eye out for her."
"Why does that name sound familiar?" asked Bobby as he placed spaghetti onto his plate.
"She's the Piranha that you guys interrogated. Or at least just George."
"Oh, I do remember her. It was George's code that kept her alive."
"She's reformed?" asked Lori.
"She's an ally," said Tim, quickly munching down on a meatball.
"W-Wait, my mom and Carlitos— are they safe?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"She's surrounded by soldiers."
"What?! What are we doing here? We have to go help her now!"
"Woah, woah, relax. They're not rogues. They're what's left of the military— what's left of the invasion in D.C."
"How do you know they're not rogues?"
Tim wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Nothing about them screams rogues," he said. "They were actually fighting against the rogues and the Novas."
"Novas?"
"It's what I call the Nationalist Spectral Army. You know, the KHAN's main army."
"I think we came across those. Lynn— remember after Houlton? Those soldiers— they didn't look like the rogues we were fighting."
"Yeah, they knocked us out and the next thing we knew— we were in Albany," recalled Lynn, her voice muffled by the spaghetti in her mouth.
"From Maine to New York. The subways… that was definitely KHAN," said Tim. "It's fortunate that you're all here now. Luck was certainly on your side when fighting Black's rogues… but the Novas… you don't ever want to mess with 'em."
"So my mom's safe?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"Yeah. These people are good soldiers. Their leader— April— she's a good person. Just like David."
Lori smiled.
"Auburn Hills is a town," said Lincoln. "Is there a military base in there or something I don't know about?"
"Well, they live in the Chrysler Headquarters building. We all call it the CHQ. Both soldiers and civilians alike live there."
"That's a new one," said Lori. "The RenCen in Detroit. The Queendom in Orchard Lakes. And now, the CHQ in Auburn Hills."
"There's also Huntington Manor in Huntington Woods…"
"Oh, Clyde and I trick-or-treated there before," said Lincoln. "A lot of rich people."
"Yeah. And then finally, there's Casino Windsor in… Windsor."
"That's a whole lotta names to remember," said Lynn. "Who could remember all that?"
"RenCen, Queendom, CHQ, Huntington Manor, and Casino Windsor," said Becky. "Easy."
"Ah, screw you."
Tim placed down his empty cup, sighing in relief as he stood up.
"Well, I don't want to overwhelm you all today. Some of you have interviews with Melissa tomorrow. Don't be nervous. It'll go fast. For now, just settle in and don't be afraid to sleep in. Even Oscar will understand that you all need to sleep in. Hell, he sleeps in all the time."
Vonda chuckled before standing up, grabbing her backpack next to her seat. Bobby set his plate down and began to wipe his mouth with his napkin while Ronnie Anne grabbed her backpack, a worried expression on her face.
"Aw, you're all leaving already?" said Benny.
"Yeah, all this food got me feeling sleepy," said Bobby. "We'll all see each other for breakfast tomorrow, right?"
"Where at?"
"Town plaza," said Tim. "It's the parking lot next to City Hall."
"All right. Cool."
Lincoln approached Ronnie Anne, holding two walkie-talkies in his hands. He then handed Ronnie Anne one of them.
"What's this for?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"Just in case you wanna talk," said Lincoln.
"It says Clyde in here."
"It's my walkie, but you can have it for the night," said Clyde. "I usually wouldn't hand something like that to anybody, but you're the girl of my best friend's dreams. I think I could make an exception for you."
Ronnie Anne giggled.
"Thanks, Clyde. And thank you... Lame-O."
Lincoln smiled before giving Ronnie Anne a soft kiss on the lips. Ronnie Anne then began to walk towards the front door, passing by Lori and Bobby, who were embracing each other in a hug. Then, Bobby followed his sister out of the front door, closing it as Vonda waved goodbye to the group.
And the door closed.
"Welp. I'm taking a shower," said Lynn.
Lori and Lincoln stood by the couch, the lamp shining on the lower section of their faces, looking at the closed door.
"You gave it to her, right?" asked Lori.
"I did," answered Lincoln. "If anything goes wrong… she'll tell us."
"I'm worried she won't. She wants to trust this place like Bobby. Hopefully, she realizes that they separated the people that Tim wanted here… from us."
"I could keep watch."
"That'd be good. I'll keep watch from downstairs. You can go now. Take a shower."
Lincoln nodded as he returned to the kitchen, joining the conversation with the group again. Lori continued to look at the door, taking a deep breath before walking away.
The sounds of water splashing against the tub were muffled by the locked bathroom door as a line waited outside. Lori blew away the fire from the candles one by one, until all there ever remained in the kitchen was darkness. She walked out of the kitchen and towards her parents' room, feeling her heart beating faster the more she got closer to the door. She placed a hand on the doorknob, taking a deep breath, then she removed her hand.
The sound of the water stopped. Lori stepped away from the door and stared at it momentarily. The sound of the water returned. Lori walked away from the door and sat on the couch in the living room, where the dirt and oil from her face began to stick itself onto the comfy seats. Then, she sat down while holding her revolver, her eyes glued to the door.
The conversations upstairs began to get quieter and quieter. The water continued to run, keeping Lori in a trance as she focused on staying awake. Suddenly, she stood up and walked to the front door, placing a hand on the doorknob. She looked out of the peephole, seeing nothing but darkness. The click of the lock was heard before Lori walked back to the couch, laying down instead of sitting this time. She groaned as she stretched out her legs, twisting her torso as she felt her back becoming more loose. She looked up at the light bulb in the ceiling, now having become obsolete. She turned off the lamp next to her, making the living room completely dark with the exception of the tiny flickering red light on the fire alarm situated next to the light bulb.
Lincoln dried his head with his orange towel, sighing as he looked out the window in his room. All he could make out was the silhouette of the walls in the distance contrasting the starlight in the horizon.
Becky dried her face with a turquoise-colored towel before huffing softly, blinking rapidly to remove the water from her eyes. She turned over to Carol, who was fast asleep on Lori's bed. She then turned around again, her eyes looking out into the street before she spotted the silhouette of a guard on top of a scaffold, standing next to the main gate in the distance. She raised her pistol and aimed at the guard, puffing deeply yet quietly as she lined up the iron sights to the guard's head. She licked her lips and remained as still as possible, the beating of her heart being the only thing she could hear. After a few seconds, she lowered her pistol and continued to look out of the window, leaving Leni's bed empty.
The sound of the water hitting the tub stopped. The door opened one last time as footsteps moved from the bathroom to Luna and Luan's room. Lori's eyes struggled to remain open as it continued to stare at the blinking light until it finally gave in to the darkness.