Chapter 8: Chloe At The Door

POV: Avery

"Open the door, Avery!" Diane screamed, hitting the steel with both fists. "Your sister is freezing out here!" On the screen, Chloe was bent over with her arms around her belly, and her lips were turning gray.

"Please, Avery," Gerald shouted over the wind. "We tried three places on the way here, and every door was locked." Snow covered his hair, and he kept rubbing his hands together.

"My cards don't work, Avery," Damien said, stepping close to the camera. "The banks are down, and I can't touch a single dollar." His coat was soaked, and his teeth were shaking so hard I could hear them through the speaker.

My hand stayed above the keypad. I wanted to say no, but then I saw Chloe drop to her knees in the snow, and I heard her laugh from that window again. My chest was so tight I could not breathe right.

"She's pregnant, Avery," Helen said softly behind me. "Whatever they did to you, the baby did nothing." She was holding her daughter's photo in her hand, and I knew why she said it.

"They are not your problem," Elliot said, standing close to my shoulder. "Look at the food numbers again." He kept his eyes on the screen, and his hand never left his gun.

"I know the numbers," I said. My voice came out weak, and I hated how it sounded. "I just need a second."

"Ten people is a lot, but it can work," Victor said from the heater. "We cut portions tonight, and nobody complains." Tyler and Nathan nodded, but they didn't look at me.

On the screen, Chloe fell on her side and stopped trying to get up. Diane dropped beside her and shook her shoulders, screaming her name. "Chloe! Chloe, look at me!" Gerald yelled at the camera.

"Elliot, cover me," I said, and I typed my code with fingers that would not stop shaking. I pressed my thumb on the pad, and the lock started its five second turn. Those five seconds felt longer than my whole night at the factory.

Elliot pointed his gun at the door as it opened. "Hands where I can see them!" he shouted. "Anybody pushes in, I shoot." Cold wind blew inside, and snow flew across the floor.

Gerald and Damien grabbed Chloe under her arms and dragged her in. Nathan ran forward to help, and Tyler pulled the door shut behind them. I locked it twice with my hands still shaking.

"Put her by the heater," Helen said, dropping to her knees. She pulled off Chloe's wet coat and pressed two fingers on her neck. Tyler threw two blankets from the shelf, and nobody said a word.

"Come on, girl, breathe," Helen whispered. Victor knelt down and pushed on Chloe's chest with both hands, counting out loud. After a full minute, Helen put her hand on his arm.

"Stop, Victor," Helen said quietly. "She's gone, and I'm so sorry." Damien made a sound I never heard from a man before, and he dropped on the floor beside her.

"No, no, she's only cold!" Damien cried, rubbing Chloe's hands. "Do something! You have blankets, you have everything!" Nobody moved, because Helen had already done everything there was to do.

Gerald sat on the floor and covered his face. Diane stood up slowly and looked straight at me, and her eyes were red and wild.

"You did this," Diane said, walking toward me with her hands out like claws. "You stood there and watched her die!" Elliot stepped in front of me and caught her wrist before she reached my face.

"I opened it as fast as I could," I said. "Don't put this on me." My voice was steady, but my stomach was twisting.

"You wanted this!" Diane screamed, pulling against Elliot's hand. "You wanted her dead, you wicked girl!" Spit flew from her mouth, and Elliot pushed her back one step.

I looked at Chloe's body by the heater. Her face was white, and snow was still melting in her hair. I waited to feel happy, but I only felt empty.

"Take her to the back corner and cover her," I said to Victor. "We will bury her when the storm stops."

Then I looked at Diane and Gerald. "Everyone here follows my rules, or you go back outside." Diane didn't answer, but her hands were shaking from anger.

Gerald lifted his head and looked at me with wet eyes. "Avery, thank you for opening," he said. "We won't give you any trouble, I promise." I almost laughed, because I had heard that promise before.

"Ten people," Elliot said quietly near my ear. "And two of them look at you like they want you dead." "I know," I said. "Watch them tonight."

Diane wiped her face and spoke low, so only I could hear. "This isn't over, Avery. Remember I said it." When I turned away, Damien was staring at me from the floor, and his eyes were not sad anymore.