# Thirty-three

- Link: https://thewrongkindofready.com/thirty-three/
- Published: 2026-09-21T18:13:42-07:00
- Author: Caleb

This is post 9 of 23 in the series _“The Space between Stops”_

Some stories happen far from home. Others happen on the walk back from school, at
a diner, on a beach, or beside someone who has been waiting for you.

These are the smaller moments: a child arriving at school with the wrong toy, an
aging grandmother asking where we are going, a conversation that suddenly changes
shape, a camera becoming less important than the person holding it. Nothing here
needed a plane ticket. I just had to notice before the moment passed.

  Show all posts in this series

 1.  [Bear Boxes](https://thewrongkindofready.com/bear-boxes/)
 2.  [For Him](https://thewrongkindofready.com/for-him/)
 3.  [If You’re Hungry](https://thewrongkindofready.com/if-youre-hungry/)
 4.  [It’s Not Stuffed-animal Day](https://thewrongkindofready.com/its-not-stuffed-animal-day/)
 5.  [The Watchman](https://thewrongkindofready.com/the-watchman/)
 6.  [The Photographer’s End](https://thewrongkindofready.com/the-photographer/)
 7.  [Thursday Edition](https://thewrongkindofready.com/thursday-edition/)
 8.  [The Darkest Place](https://thewrongkindofready.com/the-darkest-place/)
 9.  Thirty-three
 10. [Seventeen](https://thewrongkindofready.com/there-arent-any-rooms/)
 11. [Payday](https://thewrongkindofready.com/payday/)
 12. [The Internship](https://thewrongkindofready.com/the-internship/)
 13. [On-call](https://thewrongkindofready.com/on-call/)
 14. Powerlines Scheduled for November 4, 2026
 15. The Electrical Problem Scheduled for November 5, 2026
 16. Tornado Insurance Scheduled for November 6, 2026
 17. A Little-bit Scared Scheduled for November 9, 2026
 18. Election Day Scheduled for December 8, 2026
 19. Dani Stayed Scheduled for December 12, 2026
 20. Company Scheduled for December 13, 2026
 21. Stuck Cove Scheduled for December 15, 2026
 22. The Pull of the Hunt Scheduled for December 19, 2026
 23. The Faces We Carry Scheduled for December 31, 2026

In my hand I held a wadded ball of socks. It was the size of a softball—almost as
dense.

Across it in black marker, I’d written a name.

BIG BERTHA

Beneath the words, thirty-two tally marks disappeared into the fabric.

~

For a week our campus had belonged to Humans vs. Zombies.

It had started with one zombie hiding in the bushes.

Now there were hundreds.

Only a handful of us remained, my girlfriend included.

If a zombie touched us, we joined them. Socks were our only defense, and they were
set to stun.

The missions had grown stranger each day.

Skip to the helicopter pad.

Escort civilians who liked to get stuck on trees or walk into danger.

Deliver supplies while students who dressed and acted like zombies poured out from
behind buildings.

They were so fast, their stun times so small.

Now the game had narrowed to the library steps.

The zombies gathered below.

The other survivors carried grocery bags and backpacks stuffed with socks, throwing
them as fast as they could reload.

I had one. I gripped it tight.

I threw the Big Bertha.

It struck the pavement.

I sprinted after it, scooped it up, turned, and threw again.

Again.

Again.

A shout.

Dani had been tagged.

She laughed, stepped toward the crowd, and before she crossed over I kissed her 
once.

Her face was cold.

“I love you.”

Then I picked up the Big Bertha and threw it one more time.

Thirty-three.

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