red hill - jamie mcguire

est of the way when I saw the cloud was coming up fast. “Get inside!” I screamed. I closed the door
and ran to get towels to stuff under it. Ashley and Skeeter were pulling up the blankets we used to
cover the windows at night, and Nathan was shoving towels under the back door.
We stood in the living room, panting and staring at each other. I shook my head at Nathan, at a loss
for what else to do. A roar welled up outside. Jenna, Halle, and Elleny ran to me, and I hugged them
all, watching Nathan do the same with Zoe.
Ashley ducked under Skeeter’s arm and looked up at him. “What do we do”
Skeeter scanned the room as the roaring got louder. “Everyone get down on the ground.”
We huddled together, waiting until the wave was upon us. The wood frame of the farmhouse
creaked against the blast, and the dirt popped against the outer north wall. The three windows on that
side burst, throwing glass all over the dining room table and the floor. I kept the girls’ heads down,
praying that would be the extent of it.
As soon as the wave hit, it was gone. We all slowly looked up at one another, wondering what to
do next.
Ashley sniffed. “Are we far enough away, if there’s radiation”
“I can’t believe it,” Nathan said. “I can’t believe they bombed the city. A year after this all
started That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Maybe the cities are lost, and this is their way of cleanin’ up” Skeeter said. “They can eliminate
a lot of teds that way.”
“So does that mean there’s not a cure” Elleny said.
“We don’t know anything, yet,” I said. Halle was curled into a ball in my lap, shaking. “Sssh,
baby. It’s going to be all right.”
“Will they bomb us” Jenna asked.
“No,” I said. “We’re so far removed from everything—”
“But what about Shallot” Elleny asked. “It was full of teds. What if they drop a bomb that close to
us”
I shook my head. “I don’t think they will, honey. Most of the teds there have wandered off.
Probably to Wichita.”
“I hope there weren’t any survivors left,” Ashley said. “To make it this long and then have that
happen. How awful.”
“I don’t think anyone would survive long in the cities,” Skeeter said. “I think we should all stay
inside for now. Wait till the air clears. We’ll watch to see how Butch acts the next couple of days,
watch for fallout. I don’t see why they’d risk dropping a nuclear bomb. A regular one’d do the trick.”
Nathan nodded. “I agree. No sense in getting all worked up.”
“Okay,” I said. I stood up and pulled the girls with me. “Did you hear that Birthday party has
been brought inside.”
Jenna’s mouth pulled to the side. I cupped her face in my hands. “First thing’s first. There is a can
of peaches with your name on it.”
“Can I have one, Jenna Pleeeeease” Halle begged.
I left them for the basement, searching through the pantry. Nathan followed me down. I pulled the