Chapter Twenty-Six: Impasse:

So what are we going to do?

We just keep going around in circles here. And frankly, I am tired of it. However, we don’t have anywhere else to go. I don’t think anyone else knows we’re here. I don’t even think that asshole told anyone. He probably told them we’re dead.

I gritted my teeth.

I don’t even remember what we got into a fight about. Does it matter anymore? He got what he wanted. I don’t think he even wanted to be a dad. Was it all just to humor me? Well sorry that you couldn’t keep it in your trousers.

I looked out the window. Men just keep disappointing me. I turned my head when I heard a knock on my door.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“Hey. Your radio is crackling!” Paul said. I froze. I got up and waddled over to the door. Paul stood in the hall pointing toward the stairs. I stared at him as my eyes widened. I covered my mouth.

“Well, what did it say? Did you hear anything?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I could barely make out what it was saying,” he said. I grabbed him by the wrists.

“What do you mean you don’t know?!” I asked. He tried to pull away from me.

“I got mostly static,” he said. “I couldn’t hear anything coherent enough to make words.” I let go of Paul’s hands while I looked disappointed. I walked straight past him.

“Nancy?” he asked. I didn’t even turn around. There was no way I was going to let this slip away again.

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I had my radio set up in the dining room. I found that was the best place I could get a signal. Paul wasn’t happy with this move as you can imagine.

“Why does it have to be there?” he asked.

“It’s the only way I can get a better signal,” I said. “We’re trying to leave. Isn’t that what you want?” Paul stared at me as he didn’t answer.

“Is it?” I asked.

“I never said that,” he said.

“But you act like it.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t!” He turned and stormed off. Paul could deny it all he wanted, but I could see the truth.

I sat down in front of the radio and put on the headphones.

“Come in! Can you hear me? Come in! Can you hear me? Come in! Come in!” I shouted. Crackling filled my headphones. I started messing with the knobs.

“Can you hear me? Come in! Come in!” I said. Paul might have tried to talk to me, but I waved him off. Come on! Come on! I almost jumped out of my chair when I heard one word through the static.

“Nancy!”

I know that voice. I tried to train the dial on the right frequency. There was nothing that was going to take my focus away. If I can reach someone, I will be able to get out of here and go home. I’ll be able to have my baby safely. Ava will see her Daddy again.

But what about Paul?

I frowned as I stopped turning one of the knobs. What about him? It didn’t feel right to leave him behind in this place. He didn’t have to take us in. But I couldn’t make him come with us if he didn’t want to. Paul seemed content to stay in this abandoned neighbourhood all by himself. If that was the case, then why did he take us in? Paul acted like he didn’t want us here. Almost like we were a burden to him. He could have just let us in that parking lot and walked away. So why did he take us in?

I frowned the more I thought about it. I just can’t figure this bloke out.

I snapped back to attention when I heard my name again in the headphones. I grabbed the mic as fast as I could.

“Hello? I’m still here! Can you hear me? Hello? Hello?” I asked. I strained to listen as hard as I could. The next couple of words made my heart drop down to my stomach.

“Nancy… mom… dead…”

I dropped the microphone as I shivered in my seat.

Oh no…