Where Is Araminta Green? (ONC 2024)

Chapter 10: Zombie Road Rage 7

"And that's a wrap on episode 5," Jordan announced to his audience of one after pressing the Publish button. He'd spent the last three days narrating, editing, and re-editing the interview with Christin.

Kiki didn't react to this exciting announcement. In fact, she seemed wholly uninterested in what Jordan was up to and more interested in using her paw as a cleaning cloth for her face. To rub in how little she cared about what Jordan was up to, she ended the washing routine with a big yawn.

Jordan keenly observed the cat, who saw on the bed beside him, looking for signs of her feline nature being merely a disguise. Ever since his conversation with Christine, he'd been trying to figure Kiki out. Was she Araminta? Was she a ghost? Was she a creature from beyond the veil of another world?

But his conclusion so far was that Kiki was a cat. A very catty cat. She purred like a cat, meowed like a cat, and misbehaved like a cat.

Still, the notion of there being something peculiar with Kiki wouldn't leave him. Even if cats by nature were a peculiar breed.

Having accomplished the task he'd set for himself, Jordan looked at the clock on his laptop. Three p.m. So not yet time for dinner. Which was a pity since Jordan was starving. Time always seemed to disappear on him while he was working on an episode, making him forget that his body needed nutrition to function. His mom had placed a plate of pancakes on his desk, prompting him to eat, before leaving for work that morning, but he hadn't ingested anything since then.

Leaving his podcasting cave to hunt for food, Jordan strolled down the stairs with Kiki in tow.

"There are pizza pockets in the freezer if you're hungry."

Surprised by the voice—because he had figured no one was home yet—Jordan spun to face his brother, Chase, lounging on the couch with the aforementioned hot snack in one hand and a game controller in the other. The thirteen-year-old must have arrived home quietly while Jordan was knee-deep in narration and frustration.

"Thanks for the tip," Jordan mumbled to his brother, setting off for the kitchen to find a pepperoni and cheese-filled treat. Having waited an annoyingly long time while the pizza pocket heated in the microwave—during which he was prompted by a certain black cat to fill her food bowl—he wandered back into the living room, invigorated by the mere promise of processed fat and excessive salt.

"What are you playing?" he asked, sitting down beside his brother. Kiki jumped up beside him and Jordan was forced to hold his pizza pocket up high as she aimed for it with her tongue.

"Zombie Road Rage 7," Chase muttered, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Oh cool," Jordan replied. "I've only played the earlier version but it's a fun game."

Silence fell between the brothers as Chase jumped out of the vehicle on screen to take out a few zombies. Blood splatter and brain matter spilled across the screen.

"Do you... uh... want to play together?" Chase asked with all the eloquence of a teenage boy. Perhaps he'd realized there wouldn't be any quiet gaming time with his older brother around, or he was just unsure of whether Jordan actually wanted to hang with him since he hadn't actually made much time for his younger siblings during his stay in the family home while creating his podcast.

Despite having so many siblings, Araminta had been alone. Jordan couldn't fix that. But he could make sure his brother didn't feel neglected.

"Sure!" Jordan exclaimed, putting his plate on the table to grab the other controller. The pizza pocket needed to cool a bit before being ingestible anyway. He felt a bit like Derek in his enthusiasm. But being Derek was probably not a bad thing. Jordan's friend had told him about how he set up an obstacle course for their hamster together with his younger brother Brandon the other week. Perhaps Chase would like such sibling bonding as well, even though they didn't own a hamster. Kiki would probably be game for an obstacle course if there was a treat in the end.