Desired

29. Honey and Oreos

I wake covered in a thick blanket which is damp and covered in mould. It smells as rancid as the mattress I'm lying on.

Quickly pushing off the blanket, I stand and every muscle creaks and protests. Cas is asleep on the mattress next to where I lay. Roman is laying on a piece of plastic curled into a ball with a tense expression.

My stomach rumbles loudly so I head into the house in search of food.

The jars we ate last night were our last which is good because my bag will be a lot lighter; it also means I'm going to struggle to cycle today if I don't eat.

The front door of the house hangs off it's hinges, paint peels off the walls. Walking along the hallway, I step over several piles of collapsed ceiling covering the floor.

I pass furniture distorted and swollen from water damage and ignore the remains of a body on the floor as I walk into a kitchen.

Cupboard doors lay on the floor, others dangle at strange angles. I quickly search through the drawers and cupboards; doors and handles come off in my hands which I discard.

By the end of my search, I have a bottle of green gel, three spoons, a jar of honey and a packet of biscuits.

There's not much food in the house which probably means the residents didn't die at the beginning of the outbreak. Strangely, I always think the ones who survived the longest were the unlucky ones. They lived a little longer all the time hoping they'd survive. They didn't.

Looking back, I realise how lucky my parents are. Actually, it's incredible my entire settlement and Zach's settlement are still alive.

Exiting the house, I glance at Roman and Cas, laying among the grass, to check they are both still asleep before I walk along the edge of the house to a large container half full of rainwater which I spotted earlier.

I dump everything on the ground and take off my top. Ignoring the green sludge around the edges, I splash myself with the water. I pour the green gloopy gel onto my hand which thankfully doesn't smell of mint and rub it across my chest, under my arms and around my neck before rinsing it off with the water.

I still feel gross.

'Kit?' Roman calls out as he rounds the corner.

I can't grab my top off the ground quick enough. Roman's eyes widen and he spins facing his back towards me.

Shit!

Covering myself with the top, I start to collect the stuff off the ground.

'What are you doing?' Roman says with his back still to me.

'Washing myself,' I snap as my face heats up with embarrassment. I stride past Roman, clutching the stuff to my chest. 'You could do with one yourself.'

'You know that's washing-up liquid, it's meant to clean dishes not bodies,' Roman says from behind me.

'If it cleans, it's good enough,' I dump everything next to our bikes apart from my top which I'm still clinging to my front.

Digging through my bag, I pull out a clean top and quickly pull it on. The material pulls at my wet skin, it's uncomfortable and my skin itches.

I discard my stinking top to the side and sit next to the items I've collected. 'I've got some food.'

Roman walks over and sits down in front of me. 'Sorry, about you know... if I'd known-'

'Can we just pretend that didn't happen?' I say, staring at the ground.

'Pretend what didn't happen?' Roman says.

'Thanks.' I give him a smile before focussing on the food I found.