ᴡᴏʀꜱʜɪᴘ ᴍᴇ (ᴇᴊ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

15: Who To Blame

        In the end, the two of you worked together to mend the window. It wasn't like there was an extra glass pane lying around anywhere, but there were blankets as well as some nails. Jack held the blanket up against the frame while you hammered it into place.

After ten minutes of doing your best to fasten the blanket to the wall, it was finally up and you stood back to study your handy work. And well, it wasn't exactly pretty. With some trial and error, after nailing the corners of the blanket up you and Jack had discovered the wind was still getting in through the sides. That's when you started adding more nails wherever gaps appeared, and you hadn't bothered to make it very even.

Nonetheless, the covered window was good enough to keep the wind out. With a sigh, you set down the leftover supplies on the kitchen counter before turning to Jack. Despite all of the distractions, after discovering the church it was all you'd been thinking about. And because of that, you found yourself worrying about Jack. Though he seemed fine outwardly, knowing that the cult had likely been resurrected had to be weighing heavily on him. Thinking about it made goosebumps rise on your skin and a look of sheer disgust sprout across your features. Your stomach would start to churn as your throat began to tighten, and a cold sweat would make your hands clammy.

If it was affecting you, it had to be affecting him. After all, he'd suffered so much more at the hands of the cult than you ever had.

"...I know you said you had to think earlier, but any ideas now that we're here?" You asked.

Jack sighed and shook his head. "No, we can start planning tomorrow. I'm tired, and I know you are too." Even though your exhaustion had to be obvious, your face heated up at the observation.

"That's probably a good idea..." You nodded in agreement, watching as Jack headed for the couch.

You sighed again before deciding to get yourself some food. There weren't very many options, but thanks to the recent gas station visit there was at least some variety. Admittedly, you were starting to get sick of granola bars. Soon enough you settled on a bag of pretzels, an apple, and water. Not the greatest meal out there, but it'd tide you over for the time being.

Due to the kitchen table being positioned directly next to the broken window, you ended up joining Jack on the couch to eat. The living room was on the smaller side with a couch, a chair, and a bookshelf taking up most of the space. At its center sat a wooden coffee table, and in front of that was a visibly old television.

Immediately you grabbed the remote that was atop the coffee table, but before you turned it on you paused.

"Mind if I turn on the TV?" You asked Jack. All you got in response was a nod before he sat back and crossed his arms.

With a slight smile, you pressed the power button and hoped that it was still functioning. The television came alive, its glowing screen soon displaying a random movie. You soon clicked the channels button and started browsing through the various shows. There were cartoons, news stations, soap operas, and all different genres of movies. You picked something with a vaguely interesting title and set down the remote.

You opened the bag of pretzels, a faintly salty smell immediately rising from the bag. Stuffing a couple into your mouth, you allowed yourself to sink back into the couch and mindlessly watch TV.

Or at least that's what you tried to do. The first few minutes of casually watching a movie with Jack on the couch went by fine, but quickly your mind started to drift. As you chewed on another handful of pretzels you realized you'd never seen Jack eat before. Not one meal, yet he never seemed hungry.