Guns & Roses

Chapter 31

                                  [Sheriff]

In all honesty, he expected things to go much worse. The make-shift ice packs had ended up working wonders, he'd been placing them on their wrists too, just in case, but he never really expected Hank to get much better, let alone start recovering. About two days after Sheriff had started trying to take care of them, they'd started having brief moments of consciousness, which he'd use to give them food and water before they dozed off again.

Not only that, but he'd found a way to keep the room temperature down too, as he found a few desk fans while scavenging the rooms in the basement. Now he ran them 24/7, which he didn't really mind, as it was a nice change from the constant heat, and the gentle humming helped him sleep a little easier.

He could actually keep a blanket on at night without overheating, hell, sometimes he wore it over his shoulders while doing other tasks, just for the sake of it.

As of now, he wore it on his lap as he sat in an old chair he'd placed in the corner. He was almost finished the book, having gone back up to get it after the previous day's fiasco. Looking up at a clock placed on the opposite wall, he realised it was time to change over Hank's ice packs. So he once again marked his page, gently lobbing into a small pile of stuff he'd accumulated over the days.

Getting up, he took a second to stretch, arching his back until he received a satisfying crack in a spot which felt particularly stiff. He walked over to Hank, crouching down and gathering the ice-packs he'd placed on their forehead and wrists. They stirred, but nothing else came of it.

The water had become lukewarm, a bad sign, since they'd usually still be slightly chilled when he collected them. He made a mental note to check on them 15 minutes earlier than usual next time.

Sheriff made his way to the food sector, opening the fridge, he became briefly distracted by the meats and veggies, realising how hungry he was getting. He shook the thought away, focussing back on the task at hand. He stacked the ice-packs in the back corner of the fridge, taking the ones that were pre-frozen from the freezer door.

Shouldering it, he let the freezer close itself as he wandered back over to Hank. Crouching back down, he distributed them back into the usual spots, getting up and sauntering back into the food sector while trying to come up with lunch.

Sheriff opened the fridge door and stared blankly at what he had. He had some tomatoes on the bottom shelf, a block of cheese on the opposite side to it, some lettuce stored on the top shelf, and a couple eggs in the fridge door. The tomatoes and cheese looked like they'd started growing mold, however the other stuff still seemed edible.

So, he grabbed an egg and the lettuce, placing them on the counter next to him as he nudged the door closed. Next, he checked the freezer, which thankfully had some fresher looking food.

He argued with himself for a moment, deciding whether he'd rather pork or lamb. It ended with him grabbing a container of chicken, which he placed with the other stuff.

While ducking down to look in the cabinets for a pan, he tried to figure out what meal he'd make with what was available. Then, on the edge of his hearing he picked up on something. Stopping his movement, he strained to listen, almost doubting himself and wondering if he'd just imagined it. Then be heard it again, still vague, but he could make it out. A voice. No, a couple voices.

Creeping out of the food sector, he stood near the door at the entrance of the room, trying to decide if it meant danger or not. After he heard it them closer, he began hearing the finer details of the voices, ones that he recognised. They were back!