The BabyMakers’ Shared Property Read online

  Alex pulled out of the hug. “Now go on!” She pushed him lightly. “Go find your wife!”

  They left without another word. Leaning her weight into the door to close it behind her, Alex let out a deep breath, releasing some of the tension she hadn’t realized had built up in her muscles.

  “Finally,” she said. “They’re gone.”

  “So what are we playing?” Clark was already in the kitchen, fishing through the junk drawer for some playing cards. “Seven card stud or Texas hold em’?”

  “I don’t care,” said Alex. “Either way, you’re gonna lose, old man!”

  “Hiya!” Uma called from the back doorway, causing Alex to practically jump out of her own skin. She’d been sitting cross-legged on the floor, facing the opposite direction, pondering the terrible cards in her hand.

  “There she is!” Clark stood up and went to his wife. “You’re late. The others are out looking for you.”

  “I know, I know.” Uma walked into the living room, hugged Clark and Alex respectively, then threw her body into the couch. “There was a slight issue down at city hall.”

  “What kind of issue?” said Clark.

  Uma rubbed her temples and sighed. “They are cutting rations. Again.”

  “No way!” Alex sat on the arm of the couch near her mother’s head. “They can’t do that.”

  “Apparently they can. And did.”

  “For everyone? They’re cutting rations for all Swan City residents?” Alex couldn’t believe it. They’d just cut the rations six months ago, and dozens of people had already died of starvation since.

  “They are cutting individual rations by three percent, and households that have more than one adult male present will have their household rations cut by an additional two percent.”

  “Why?” Clark’s voices seemed to teeter on the edge of panic.

  “I guess more men means more viable hunters? Something like that.” Uma sat up. “The problem is, they are counting our household as having six men in it.”

  “But we don’t all live here,” said Clark.

  “That’s what I tried to explain to them. Hell, I showed them a copy of our rotation schedule so that they knew there was only husband home at a time. It didn’t matter. Besides, even if only one of you are here at a time, we’d still always have two adult males in the house.”

  Clark frowned.

  “She means me,” said Alex. “As far as city hall is concerned, I’m a healthy, twenty-eight year old male.”

  “Right.” Clark smiled. “I forgot. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m just glad some people still think of me as a woman. Some days I don’t even think of myself as one.”

  Uma ran a loving hand up and down her daughter’s arm. “We’re gonna figure this out. With Joel working construction and Adam being made head veterinarian at the practice, we should be able to make ends meet. Now if we could just get Peter to start insisting his patients pay for their therapy sessions...”

  “I’ll start hunting with William,” said Alex. “He’s already shown me some of the basics...”

  “No way,” said Uma. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “More dangerous than starving to death?” Alex stood up. “Mom, let me do this. I promise I’ll be careful.”

  “I know you will. But careful only goes so far.” Uma’s face melted into a scowl. “You know those dogs have been venturing further and further away from their pen. They’re everywhere now!”

  “Yes, but the rate of attacks has actually gone down this past year,” offered Clark. Uma shot him an angry look. He put his hands up in submission. “Just saying.”

  “He’s right, mom.” Alex took Uma’s hand in her own. “What other choice do we have?”

  “Fine,” Uma said after a long pause. “If you’re sure about this.”

  “I’m positive.”

  “Then you can start tomorrow. It’s William’s night tonight, so you two can formulate a plan. Speaking of.” Uma went as if to stand up. “We should probably go gather the gang and let them know I’m okay.”

  “You stay,” Clark said, standing up out of his own seat. “You’ve had a long day. We’ll go.”

  Uma sat back into the couch. “I mean.” She smiled. “If you insist.”

  Old Dog, New Tricks

  The two were quiet for most of the drive. Alex was remembering the first time Pete had offered to take her out hunting. He was always trying to get her interested in more outdoorsy things, but Alex was a bookworm. She loved history and literature and was utterly fascinated by politics. Following scat tracks and skinning animals was not exactly her idea of a fun afternoon.

  It was still dark out when William and Alex arrived at the plot of land that used to house the Swan City Nature Preserve. Tax dollars had been redirected from preservation efforts years ago, and the preserve had since become overgrown and overrun. Technically, it was still illegal to hunt in the area, but there existed an unspoken agreement between the city officials and the citizens. The preserve butted right up against the back of the weare-territory, and if a stray bullet happened to take down a wolf or two, the Swan City Sheriff Department would consider it a happy accident.

  “All right then, you ready?” William asked once the car was in park and the moment of truth had arrived. “You think you can handle this?”

  Alex rolled her eyes. “I’m not a child, Willie.”

  “I know.” He shrugged. “But killing an animal can be hard. For some people. Not for me, but you know, for some.”

  “If it will help my family, then it will be the easiest thing I do today.”

  William nodded. “Good. Then let’s go.”

  The morning passed without any deer sightings. By lunchtime, Alex’s legs were screaming in pain. Between the walking and constant crouching, she worried if she allowed herself to sit down, there would be no getting back up. She opted to eat her sandwich leaning against a tree trunk.

  William was unpacking his own sack lunch when something scuttled into the bushes behind him. “A rabbit!” he whispered, slowly reaching for his gun. He moved in the animal’s direction, stepping on a twig in the process. Snap. The rabbit darted from its hiding spot and further into the woods. “Oh no you don’t!” Pete muttered under his breath as he ran to follow it.

  Alex watched him disappear into the trees. “I’ll just wait here then,” she said and took a bite of her sandwich. After a few seconds leaning up against the tree, Alex felt her body slowly slipping down the trunk. Her legs were seconds from giving up on her. I better walk around a bit. Get the blood flowing.

  She allowed herself to go a short distance away from where she and William had dropped their packs and guns, being careful not to lose track of which direction she was walking in. Twenty, thirty feet or so from their lunch stop, the woods opened up into a clearing. The grass was bright green and lay flat in a few areas, as if she’d just missed a family of deer taking a nap in the afternoon sun.

  Damn.

  If only she knew how to track. William had given her a mini lesson the night before, but none of it was applicable to her current situation. She decided it was best to show him what she’d found first anyway. He’d know exactly where to start tracking them.

  She turned to head back in the direction she’d come, when a deep, bone tingling growl stopped her in her tracks. Standing bipedal, not ten feet in front of her, was a werewolf so large, it seemed ripped directly from one of her nightmares. Its lips were curled up, revealing a mouth full of knife-like teeth. Thick saliva dripped from the corners of its snout.

  Not knowing what else to do, Alex tentatively held out her sandwich, offering it to the beast. Leaning its head ever so slightly forward, it sniffed at the turkey on rye. Apparently intrigued by the smell, the werewolf dropped down on to all fours and crept towards Alex.

  “Here!” She tossed the sandwich in the air, not wanting it to get any closer. The wolf caught and swallowed it in the blink of an eye. “That’s all I have. I’m s
orry.”

  The animal continued to advance on her, although it had stopped growling and baring its teeth. Alex surveyed the area around her, weighing her options. Run? No way I would make it to safety. Yell for William? That would mean putting his life in danger as well...

  The wolf was only a few feet from her now. “Please, don’t hurt me.” Alex begged, unsure how much these things understood when they were in their wolf form. “Just let me go, and there doesn’t have to be any trouble.”

  At the sound of Alex’s voice, the creature cocked its head. Its eyes were fixed on her, watching her almost, Alex thought, with recognition. She stared back. Its eyes were hazel with flecks of brown, and for a second, Alex swore she’d seen them before. Her first thought was that it was the same wolf she’d seen when she was a kid, but that wasn’t it. She knew these eyes. Really knew them.

  Finally, the name jumped from wherever it was hiding in her subconsciousness to the forefront of her mind.

  “Hera?”

  Before the beast could provide any sort of response, the sound of a gunshot rippled through the forest.

  “Hey!” William called from somewhere behind the wolf. “I got one!”

  Stealing one final glance at Alex, the wolf tore off into the woods.

  The knife shrieked as William ran it along the sharpening stone. He was preparing to dress the small doe, which currently hung upside down from a hook nailed to one of the wooden rafters of the Greenford’s garage. Alex’s eyes danced back and forth between her father’s dry, cracked hands and the doe’s shocked face. A line of dried blood ran from the creature’s mouth, reminding Alex of the drool seeping from the werewolf’s snout.

  It was Hera. She was almost certain of it. The realization had sent Alex on an emotional rollercoaster. On the one hand, she was relieved to think her friend was still alive. On the other, was that monster even really her friend anymore? For Hera, being turned into a werewolf, or as she would often refer to them, loathsome moon mutt, was a fate worse than death.

  Alex began to question her memory. Maybe Hera’s eyes were actually blue. Maybe she only imagined she saw something human, something recognizable within the beast. Maybe... Maybe––

  “Alex!” William was standing next to the carcass, his arms wrapped around the lower half of its body. “Hello!”

  “Yeah, sorry.” Alex shook the maybes away and regained focus. “What do you need?”

  “Can you clear off the table? I’m going to lift her off the hook and lay her down.” Alex moved a dusty toolbox and some random household cleaners off the large metal table. William grunted as he lifted the deer off the hook. It was a small doe, probably less than eighty pounds, but William was not the strapping young man he used to be. He struggled to maneuver the animal into a vertical position and nearly dropped the thing on its head. Alex rushed to his aid, grabbing the two front legs and heaving. An unceremonious thud rang out as they dropped the carcass atop the table.

  “There.” William wiped his hands down the front of his pants. “Let’s get started then shall we?” He looked at Alex eagerly. She swallowed the excess spit that had collected in her mouth and frowned.

  “You don’t have to help me if you don’t want to,” said William.

  “Are you sure?” Alex said, already halfway out of the garage.

  “I mean, it would be nice if you could––” That was all Alex heard before the door closed behind her.

  It was a little past dinnertime when Alex awoke from her nap. She was surprised to find the house so dark, so quiet. Her mother, like her, was an insomniac. It was rare for Uma to go to bed before midnight, but it had been a stressful few days, for everyone.

  The freezer was nearly bursting with chunks of deep red, plastic-wrapped meat. The sight of it made Alex’s stomach summersault. She was repulsed by it, which was strange considering she’d been an enthusiastic carnivore her entire life. But she’d never seen the other side of meat. The killing and the dressing.

  If William hadn’t snagged the deer, that werewolf would have. Suddenly, a line Alex didn’t even know she’d drawn, between herself and the beasts, began to blur. We may use a knife and fork, whereas they’d use their teeth, but we’re all eating the same thing. We are all killers.

  She slammed the freezer shut and went to bed without dinner.

  Secrets and Gatherings

  “Good morning!” Uma cheerfully greeted her daughter with a cup of coffee and a smile. “How’s my best girl doing this fine morning?” Alex groaned, taking the mug. “Aw, what’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well?”

  “Not really.” She slumped into a chair and laid her head directly on the kitchen table. “Nightmares.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her mom took the seat opposite her. “About Hera?”

  Alex brought her head up, despite her aching neck. “How’d you know?”

  “It’s nearing the anniversary of the day she was taken.” Uma sipped her own coffee.

  “How––“

  “I ran into Shirley down at City Hall.”

  “Oh.” Alex looked down at her steaming mug.

  “Yeah,” said Uma. “She seems to be doing okay.”

  “That’s good.”

  The two were silent for a few moments. Alex tried to remember what Shirley, Hera’s mom, looked like. She hadn’t seen the woman in years, not since the day Hera went missing. That day, Shirley’s eye make-up had been running down her puffy, red cheeks and her hair was knotted up in a greasy bun. That was the only image of Shirley Alex could muster, and she hated thinking about it. She hated remembering anything about that day.

  “Shirley mentioned it was the anniversary. She and her husbands and Hera’s brother––“

  “Hank,” said Alex.

  “Right, Hank. They are all going to the graveyard on the day. I guess Hera has a gravestone there?”

  Alex nodded. “They put it up a few years after she went missing. At that point, I think it was easier for them to just assume she was dead.” There was an edge of bitterness in Alex’s tone. “They didn’t want to keep holding onto false hope.”

  “Can you blame them?”

  Alex took a long sip of her coffee. “No. I guess not.” She rubbed some of the sleep and sadness from her eyes. “I should probably start getting ready. Joel will be here to pick me up any minute.”

  “You’re working today?” said Uma. “But it’s Sunday.”

  “I called my manager at the library and asked if she had any extra shifts. I figured we could use any extra income we can get.”

  “Have I told you recently that you’re the best daughter in the world?” Uma stood up and poured Alex a second cup of coffee. She leaned down, kissed Alex on the head, and tousled her hair. “I like your hair like this.”

  Alex let out a sarcastic laugh. “Yeah, sure. Okay.”

  “I really do! You’ve got such a pretty face. The short hair frames it well.”

  “Thanks, but I’m hoping no one else thinks so.” Alex moved her bangs back where they were, covering most of her forehead. “I’m supposed to be a boy, remember.”

  “Boys can have pretty faces!” Uma laughed and pointed out the window, where Joel’s truck had appeared. “Exhibit A. Joel has a very pretty face. Such delicate features.”

  “I’m telling him you said that,” Alex yelled, as she hurried upstairs to get dressed.

  “I mean, she isn’t wrong,” said Joel, examining his ‘delicate features’ in the rearview mirror. They’d arrived at the construction site early. Joel wanted to squeeze as many working hours into his shift as possible. “Did your mom, uh, say anything else about me?”

  Alex frowned. “Like what?”

  Joel looked down at his hands. His thumbs twiddled. “I just mean... did she seem upset or weird when you guys talked about me?”

  “We weren’t exactly talking about you... what’s going on?” Alex had a sneaking suspicion what Joel was trying to allude to, but she didn’t want to say anything until she was positive.

&
nbsp; “Look, I know the agreement is that when I’m not staying at the house, I don’t have any familial responsibilities. Unless there’s any emergency.”

  “... Right,” said Alex. “You’re a free man on your off weeks. Not a dad. Not a husband.”

  “And all the other guys, they just go drinking together, sometimes they play tennis, but they never meet up with other women. Even though they could, if they wanted to. Your mom makes that very clear.”

  “Joel, I hate to sound callous, but our shifts start in a few minutes...”

  “Of course, of course. The point is.” Joel sighed. “The point is, I sometimes see other people. On my off days.”

  “Okay...”

  “Other men. I sometimes see other men.”

  Alex nodded, casually. She wasn’t shocked by the news. Sexual fluidity was very common in Swan City, especially among men. She’d seen Joel out on the town once or twice with another man, but never confronted him about it. If it were information he wanted known, he would have shared it.

  “Cool,” she said.

  “Yeah?” The worry lines in Joel’s face melted quicker than a Popsicle on a hot day. “Whew. Good. I feel better getting that off my chest.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “Your mom knows too. Tyler, a guy I’ve been seeing, happened to be in line behind Uma at City Hall. They got to talking and well... They figured out they had a ‘friend’ in common. The rest was obvious from there.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Alex. “I’m sure that’s not exactly how you were planning on her finding out.”

  Joel shrugged. “Oh well. She didn’t have a problem with it.”

  “It would be pretty hypocritical of her to judge your sexual habits, considering she shares her bed with five men.” Alex winked at him.

  Joel let out a big, uninhibited laugh. “I guess that’s true.”

  “Don’t tell her I said that.”