CHAPTER 31

The next few days were a little strange.

We had a couple dozen biters come onto the property one by one, and I started working on my stabbing techniques.

Thomas started teaching Suzie how to shoot. At first, my sister was scared, but when she took her first biter down, her attitude changed. Now Suzie was excited when a biter came into the yard. She wanted to be the first one to shoot at it.

We began work on some significant upgrades to the property and the trailer. We were purely focused on making our home secure.

Derek and I stayed out of each other's way for the most part. If he was inside, I would find something to keep me busy outside or vice versa. It was hard being so close to him without being able to talk to him.

For the first couple of days, my evading strategy worked, but after two days of not speaking, I felt his eyes on me. Frequently, I would catch him watching me longingly, and unlike most people, Derek refused to look away when he was caught.