Fallujah
Beth looked up at the second floor windows of the abandoned house and then over her shoulder at the empty dirt road, as Gene pushed through the tall, yellowing grass and stepped onto an overgrown brick path that lead to the porch. She followed him. Ribbons of sunlight ran through the porch’s ornate trim, and crickets sang from every direction. They were far from the main road, and there was not another house in sight, although in the distance she could see the spire of a church poking out from the tops of the auburn trees.
“You know Sadie’s pregnant?”
“Oh?” Gene climbed the porch steps and peered through the remnants of a shattered window into an empty little side room.
“She’s due in April. I ran into her and Kevin yesterday at a yard sale. Caught them checking out the baby stuff.”