Forsaken World (Book 1): Innocence Lost by Thomas A. Watson

grabbing plates.
    “How did she do?” Lance asked, sitting down.
    “She knows which end is the dangerous end,” Ian said, sitting down. “She’ll be okay.”
    “Don’t shoot me because I shoot back,” Lance said, pouring a glass of orange juice.
    “Can’t shoot the two that saved us,” Jennifer grinned, sitting down.
    The three sat and ate, and suddenly, Lance set down his fork and looked at them. It was several seconds before they realized he was staring at them. “What?” Ian said and grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth.
    “I want to make a pact between the three of us,” Lance said with a serious face.
    “A pact for what?” Jennifer asked.
    “We don’t cry or think of the things we lost until we’re safe,” Lance said, looking from one to the other.
    Tears sprang to Jennifer’s eyes. “Why? It hurts. I don’t know where my mom and dad are. I’ve seen my friends attack people.”
    “I know, and I’m just as guilty. I’ve been thinking it over, when we’ve felt bad, we always make bad mistakes. If we get down, we will die,” he said, looking at them as he grabbed his glass.
    Nodding, Ian mumbled, “Yeah, you’re right. How do we do it though?”
    “When we feel bad, start doing something: counting straws, cleaning, hell anything, but not crying,” Lance said, taking a drink.
    “I’ll try,” Jennifer said.
    “So will I,” Ian said, picking his fork back up.
    “That’s all we can do,” Lance said and picked his fork up. “If one of us sees the other breaking down, find something to do.”
    They finished eating and moved to the game room. Lance picked up the shotgun, looking at the end of the barrel. “Glad I didn’t try to use this,” he said, holding it up. Ian gave a soft whistle, seeing the chunk of dirt stuck in the barrel. “I’m going to get my go bag and clean this,” Lance said, walking out.
    “What is a ‘go bag?’” Jennifer asked when Lance was gone.
    “Our parents made us pack a bag we could live out of for three days. It holds extra clothes, food, and other stuff. If something happens, we only have to grab our go bag. Like if the house caught on fire or an earthquake hit, we wouldn’t have to pack anything, staying in danger. We could move away from danger to a safe place,” Ian said, dropping down in a recliner.
    “Like those shows on TV?”
    “Kind of,” Ian yawned, closing his eyes. “It just made sense. Like the Boy Scout motto: Always be prepared.”
    Jennifer pulled out her pistol and went over the controls several times until she heard soft snoring and looked up to see Ian asleep.
    “Typical,” she heard Lance behind her. “He goes to sleep when we have stuff to do,” he said, putting the shotgun on the pool table with a backpack.
    “Can I use your phone to try and call my parents?” Jennifer asked, putting her pistol in the holster.
    “Sure,” Lance said, pulling out his phone. Jennifer tried her parent’s number, and it rang several times then went to voicemail.
    Sighing, she thumbed it off and handed it over. “You think you have any clothes I can wear?”
    “We can look in my mom’s closet.”
    Jennifer snickered. “Lance, your mom is much taller than me and more—” she stopped, holding her hands out in front of her chest.
    Smiling, Lance looked at Jennifer’s tiny body and pictured his mother’s five-foot-six clothes on her, and his smile broke into a grin. “You have a point. Come on,” he said, turning around.
    She followed him upstairs to his room. “You’ve changed it,” she said, walking in. He turned around, cutting his eyes at her. “Lance, I’ve been in your room before, and if you remember, I’ve spent the night with you and Ian here and at his house.”
    “Forgot about that,” Lance mumbled as he nodded.
    “Do you two ever, like, sleep at your own house without the other one?”
    “Of course,” he chuckled, opening his closet.
    Sitting down on Lance’s bed as he dug in his closet, she said, “I never