What was it about warmer weather that seemed to have a lightening effect on a person's mood? Maddie had always wondered that. Snow and rain equaled death and gloom, while warmth and sunshine equaled life and cheerfulness. Nature's mood ring. Nature's subtle way of getting rid of the depression and stir-crazy feelings that piled up.
Except that wasn't always the case.
Sunlight was warm on her face as she wandered around the compound, and while it was comforting to a certain degree (pun intended), it couldn't completely relieve Maddie of the thoughts circling through her head. Her brother Gordy, thought to have been gone for good years before this, would be buried properly tomorrow. Saying goodbye to him the first time had been the hardest thing in the world; she wasn't sure how she would handle saying goodbye to him a second time.
At the very least, she was grateful it wasn't a double funeral. Zach was immune to the virus. From a family who'd suffered so many losses during the zombie years, that was a huge favor. Maddie didn't like being forced to contemplate what would happen if the family lost Zach. There were times when she felt like he was the only one in the family who actually understood her.
Wandering alone today wasn't really being done on purpose. Caitie was off doing something or other, which left Maddie with the task of finding something entertaining to do for the time being. Her brief period of guilt-ridden seclusion had passed, but she still wasn't completely keen on the idea of hanging out with a group of people. That didn't mean she was hiding herself away like her younger brother was, but it was definitely more low-key than Maddie's social habits usually were.
Maddie's head turned when the sounds of laughter and zombie noises caught her attention. Frowning, she stopped walking to observe the boys engrossed in their game. That's disgusting. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head disapprovingly. Maddie's sense of humor generally meant that she could make anything funny... but there were some things that just weren't funny. At all.
Another voice floated across the courtyard to Madde's ears. She knew who the voice belonged to before she even looked. “Their parents sure as hell aren't doing anything about it,” she responded, raising her voice a little so the other girl could hear her. “No one's doing anything about it.” At least as far as she'd seen, anyway. Maybe other people had tried, and the boys were just idiots.