I woke unwillingly to a stiff neck as well as a piercing headache. My entire body felt sore and as I took in my cramped, position curled up against the side of the bed, I wasn't surprised. I was still recovering from my fall so I presumed it was to be expected though that didn't make me feel any better about it.
My eyes scanned the room tiredly. There was no sign of whats-his-name—Sam even—which both unnerved me and settled my nerves. If he wasn't here, then where was he? Maybe he had changed his mind and left. Despite my decision last night, I can't say the idea didn't appeal to me. I was used to fending for myself—a real lone wolf. It was going to be hard to accept anything else.
What I did notice as I scanned the room was that Sam had made good on his promise. Whether he had left or not, he had returned all my things including my gun and my knives. It was sad that I had to resort to the use of weapons to feel secure, but that's how it was now.
I crawled my way over to Lily and Ace who had his head protectively over her, lifting it when I approached with a slight wag of his tail. I pushed away his slobbery kisses, ruffling the fur on the top of his head. "Hey, boy! I know. I missed you too." I really had. I owed this dog everything. I gave him a simple scratch behind the ear and pretty soon he was begging for more but I turned my attention to Lily.
She was still unconscious, but I assured myself that it was normal. Sam himself said it would take some time and he seemed to know what he was doing. She did look more alive thankfully. The rosy colour returning to her cheeks had to be a good sign. I pressed my hand to her forehead, sighing in relief when it felt noticeably cooler than before. She looked better and my heart swelled with hope.
I wasn't sure how long ago she had last eaten or drunk—my timeline being slightly messed up and all—but I knew it was probably too long ago. I grabbed the half-empty bottle of water that was left on the bedside table and pressed it to her lips, tilting her head up and encouraging her body to swallow.
I gave her most of what was left, saving only the tiniest amount for my own parched mouth. I couldn't remember the last time I had a drink either. The remainder did nothing to quench my thirst and I did a mental inventory to try and remember whether this was all we had left. If this was it, which I had a terrible feeling about, we were surely screwed. Especially if Sam had decided to leave.
Reluctantly leaving Lily and with a holstered gun at my side, I hobbled towards the door. I was still unable to put anything but the tiniest pressure on my ankle. That made the stairs difficult but I just about managed to navigate them with the utmost care, avoiding breaking my neck. I feared I had used all my luck with my little building stunt and didn't much like my chances against the formidable staircase.
Just before I reached the bottom step, the smell hit me. Food. It was certainly a welcome difference to the awful stench of death and I found myself becoming more and more aware of the aching emptiness in my stomach. I missed the smell of food.
The scent became stronger and stronger as I neared the kitchen. I guess Sam had decided to stick around after all.
I limped silently into the kitchen. His back was toward me, unaware of my presence. He was busy over the cooker, producing the source of the delicious aroma. I didn't know how he got the damn thing to work, but if it meant that I could eat, I didn't care.
"Are you going to stand there all day?" He didn't even turn around. I wasn't surprised he had survived this long. His senses were insane. I swear I hadn't made a sound, yet he knew I was there.
"No," I muttered out defiantly. I shuffled towards the counter, hopping onto a stool on the opposite side of him. Sam didn't take his attention off of the spaghetti he was plating up—queue the stomach rumble—but he did plop a bottle of water in front of me. The bottle was half-empty in less than a second as I gulped it down greedily.
With my thirst satisfied, for now, I turned my hungry eyes to the bowl of pasta. I hadn't had a proper meal in mm I don't know how long. He pushed the bowl towards me, a slight hint of amusement in his eye. "Go ahead, sunshine."
I didn't need to be told twice, bolting it down before I could even consider the fact that it might be poisoned. At this point, I didn't care. The taste of the—probably expired—tomato sauce was a luxury that I never thought I would experience again.
Once I had pretty much licked the bowl clean, Sam slid a small bottle of pills in front of me. "You should take a couple of these too," he advised. These, I eyed suspiciously. They could be anything. He noticed my distrust and picked up the bottle with a roll of his eyes. "They're just painkillers, I swear." To emphasise his point, he tipped one out and swallowed it without hesitation. "See?"
I cautiously took one of my own, swallowing it along with a sip of water. God knows I could use some help with the pain.
"Thanks." By now, I'd just about had enough of thanking him so I turned the topic to something more important. "How is she?"
"Honestly, I don't know," he sighed. I made to protest—how could he not know? But he interrupted. "That damned dog of yours wouldn't let me near either of you. He makes a great guard dog, you know."
That made me smile. He certainly was. I loved that dog. "Yeah, he does."
"After all that effort I went through scrounging this up for him, too." He pulled a couple of cans of dog food out of his own backpack, followed by a bag of doggy bones.
I'm sure the look on my face was priceless. Enough to elicit a chuckle from Sam at least. How prepared was this guy. Is there anything he didn't have?
"There was some stuff left in the houses along the street," he shrugged, answering my unasked question. "Dog food isn't a priority in the apocalypse for most people. Figured he'd be hungry."
Even I have to admit, that was pretty nice. I knew Ace would appreciate it. He'd been living off of biscuits this entire time and not even dog ones.
"He is." I agreed before lapsing back into silence, unsure of what to say. "You should give it to him. Maybe he'll stop growling at you. He's just protective."
"If you say so, sunshine." He looked doubtful. Every time, he called me that, my annoyance towards him grew. I ignored it though. He had been nice, at least so far, and I was grateful.
"His name is Ace," I added awkwardly.
Sam nodded, "And what's yours?"
The question caught me off guard, completely unexpected. I didn't want to tell him. It made things more personal—however minutely—and that was one thing I didn't want. I ignored his question, shooting him a question of my own. "How did you manage to cook all that?" Nothing in the house was working when I last checked.
He quirked his eyebrows but didn't otherwise comment on my lack of an answer. "Umm... there was a generator in the basement. I don't know how long it'll last, but for now, there's electricity as well as hot, running water. You can get cleaned up if you want."
Hot water. God, it was such a simple luxury—one that I definitely took for granted. The idea of a hot shower now was almost alien to me but that doesn't mean I didn't want one. I longed for a warm shower, longed to be clean for once. I could barely even hide my excitement. "Really?"
He nodded, "At least as long as there's enough fuel to power the damn thing. Go have a shower, sunshine." He shrugged at my glare. "What? It's not like you told me your name."
I huffed, hopping off the stool—too fast. My ankle buckled beneath me and I stumbled, only just managing to catch myself on the counter in time. Sam's hand was outstretched, ready to catch me but he dropped it when I managed to steady myself. "You okay?"
I nodded and smiled politely, limping towards the stairs and the ensuite bathroom up there. I turned back to Sam, "Could you um.. keep an eye on my sister? Please?" I didn't like her being left alone in her state.
"Of course." He sent a small reassuring smile and with that, I hurried towards my long-awaited shower.
The bathroom was still pretty well-stocked considering the circumstances. There were some old toiletries as well as a few towels. I locked the bathroom door and took a deep breath before even attempting to look in the mirror. When I finally gathered the courage to, I winced at the image staring back at me.
I didn't look like me. Not at all. Bruises that I hadn't even realised were there littered my face and I was certain there was more of them elsewhere. The gash by my left eyebrow— though it had since healed—had left a scar. It was joined with various other scrapes and scratches that I couldn't remember getting.
My hair. God. That was an entire other situation. It was matted and tangled so awfully that I considered chopping the whole thing off. Instead, I finger-combed through the dark, dirty mess the best I could before huffing in defeat.
I stripped down, taking note of other small injuries I had gained from my little stunt. I left my gun cautiously on the side of the sink, before eventually stepping under the delightful stream of water.
Sure enough, Sam was telling the truth. The water was hot and it felt amazing. The warmth helped me relax more than I thought possible, unknotting my muscles and also easing the heavy weight of stress that constantly hung over me.
I only stepped out when I was certain that I was clean and no longer smelled like—well, like death. I wrapped myself in a fluffy towel, savouring the luxury before it disappeared again.
It seemed such a waste to put my dirty clothes back on after finally getting myself all clean but I didn't have much choice. I cringed as I pulled them on, promising myself I would find some new ones soon.
I was clean and refreshed. My ankle throbbed slightly less too—I guess whatever Sam had given me for the pain seemed to have worked. I felt the happiest—or at least as close to—as I had in a long time. But that feeling soon vanished as soon as I stepped out of that bathroom.
As soon as I saw Sam with Lily's unbandaged wrist.
Bite on display.
And his shocked, angry and unrelenting blue eyes.
-
Wasn't too long of a wait this time I hope? Anyway, enjoy :)
Love y'all,
- Beth xx