Glory (Book 2) by Michael McManamon Page B

strange seeing as how this was the staff lounge.
    Julie reached out and grabbed the flashlight to stop it from spinning. She placed it so that it was shinning in between her and Scooter. They could see each other clearly now.
    "What are you doing here?" she asked again.
    "We were trying to get out of here when the lights went out. I wasn't really sure where we were."
    "Who i s w e ?" Julie looked at the little girl.
    "This is Emily," Scooter said. "I found her in one of the elevators."
    "Was she alone?"
    Scooter shook his head rapidly. He didn't want to bring up the little girl's father. He couldn't handle the idea of it.
    Julie understood his meaning and nodded. She looked back at the little girl, compassion in her eyes. She reached out and touched the back of the girl's head. Emily didn't seem to notice anything that was going on around her.
    "Do you know what happened?" Julie asked next.
    "With what?" He thought that maybe Julie was asking again about the little girl's father.. . and after he had just told her he didn't want to talk about it!
    "Wit h wha t ? With outside. Wit h the m . What's happening?"
    "Oh," he said. "I'm not sure. All I know is that people started attacking each other. They started kill..."  His words trailed off.
    Again, Julie understood that he didn't want to talk about this in front of the little girl.
    "It's okay," she said. "We can talk about it later. Right now we should get...Emily, was it?...something to drink and eat. How about it, Emily? Would you like something?"
    The little girl didn't respond.
    Scooter didn't know much about shock, but he was sure that she must be experiencing it. Surely, she needed something to eat.
    "Let's get something," he whispered in her ear. "Okay?"
    The little girl moved her head a little. He could feel the wetness of her tears brush against his skin. She managed to say 'okay' before she pressed her face back into his neck.
    "What do you have to eat?" Scooter asked.
    Julie grabbed a bag of chips and a can of pop that had been left on the table.
    "Is this it?"
    She nodded her head.
    "That's not going to be enough."
    Julie lowered her eyes. "It was all I had money for."
    "I've got some money," Scooter said.
    "But now the power is out."
    That's right , Scooter thought . There's no more electricity. The machines wouldn't work.
    "Maybe we could break into them somehow," Julie continued.
    Scooter looked over at the vending machines. He could barely make them out in the dark. He knew that they wouldn't have the best food, though they had to be better than nothing.
    The problem was that he didn't know how to break into them. He said as much to Julie.
    "We could smash the glass," she suggested.
    Scooter almost laughed out loud. Not in a good way. It bordered on rude, condescending. "Smash the glass? That'll make too much noise. Thos e thing s will come."
    "The door is locked. They can't get in."
    Scooter looked back over at the door. As with the vending machines, it was difficult to see as well. But he knew that she was right.
    "I'll try it," he said.
    He stood up and walked over to the machine. Julie came with him and took Emily when he handed the little girl to her. Emily didn't want to let go, but Scooter told her that she had to. He was going to try to get them some food and couldn't do it with her hanging onto him.
    "I'll be fast," he told the little girl. "Don't worry."
    Emily wrapped her arms around Julie. Then Scooter took a closer look at the machines.
    "Smash the glass?" he asked again. "You think that's going to work?"
    "We might as well try."
    Yeah, they might as well try.
    Scooter grabbed a chair and stood with it in front of the machine. He wished that he had his axe, but he couldn't remember what he had done with it. He figured he must have left it at the elevator.
    The chair will do fine.
    "Point the light over here and stand back."
    Julie did as she was told.
    Scooter took a few steps back. Then a couple more.
    "Here goes nothing!"
    He rushed forward and