The Game of Survival

FIVE | ROOMIES

new cover by: Kitkattish [im so in love with it uwu]
CHAPTER FIVE
ROOMIES

Malums' office was within a hotel in which held some of the residents of the so called 'Paradise.' It was a tall, off white building with windows spotted all over. The inside was kept tidy, as if an entire end-of-world situation had never happened.

I'm noticing a trend.

Each building I saw was clean. The outside, clearly stained with the hardships that occurred before anyone claimed the land as theirs. I ignored the judgemental, realistic thoughts that threatened to shape my face to let the world know exactly what I was thinking.

"So, where am I staying?"

Kai opened the door to the stairway. "Level three, room five hundred fifty-five. It's connected to Lilacs' room. So, moral—you're staying with Lilac."

"Lilac?" I questioned. "You mean the blonde from earlier?"

I jogged up the steps to keep up with Kai as he took the last flight by two steps. He sighed, "her idea. Not mine. I would've roomed you with the Wilsons, lovely old couple. But she insisted."

I nodded quietly. "Fun."

Kai stopped in front of the door, handed me dark green keys, then walked away. I fingered the designs on the key before opening the door.

The bright sunlight shone through the windows, illuminating the room and the white curtains. The bed was white with a white comforter and pillows to match. The room walls matched the bed. The only thing that wasn't white, was the useless TV that rested in the brown TV stand.

Everything's white.

I sighed heavily and walked into the bathroom. I looked at the clean room before making a beeline for the shower. I peaked through the shower curtain and brushed my fingertips over the metal handle that turned on the water.

"It works."

I jumped and turned to see who's voice boomed behind me.

"Yeah, we have our own water source. Plumbing, all of it our own. It took... a long time to perfect it, but—at least we can finally have warm showers." Lilac folded her arms over her small chest. "Cold or not, we can't take showers no longer than a half hour for obvious reasons. We do have a water source, but it is limited. Unfortunately."

I nodded quietly.

Lilac tilted her head at me. "I picked up some clothes down at the shop, cashed in a favor someone owed me. I put them on your bed, if you need or want more clothes you're going to need a job. I reccomend the stables, all you'd need to do is brush the horses, make sure they get attention. You don't need to pick up their... droppings, there's already someone for tha—"

Jesus, she talks a lot.

"Are you done yet?" I blurted.

Lilac's words ceased, her eyebrows ticked at I interrupted her. "Sorry."

I closed my eyes in guilt and lied, "I'm sorry. I haven't slept in two days. I guess I'm a little...uhm..."

"Tired." She finished. "I get it. I'll let you shower."

I looked her up and down, not moving from my stop.

"I'm not going to attack you while you shower, there's no need. You haven't done anything to make me hate you, so what's the point?"

I nodded.

Lilac walked to the door. "I'll just... shut this."

Once the door shut, I immediately walked up to it and checked for a lock. I pushed in the button and felt both satisfied and relieved to hear the door click back in response, signaling it's security.

I turned back to the shower. I snaked my arm through the curtain and felt the cold shower handle. My heartbeat was in my hand. I hoped I wasn't hearing things, or dreaming that any of this was happening. A shower was something I hadn't seen for a while. And that while was longer than I'd preferred.

I slowly turned the knob toward me, around the blue painted strip on the wall. Water spit out the shower head and put my hand under the running water.

I smiled.

No more would I bathe in a suspicious lake or river that was probably dirtier than I was. I could shower. I can be clean.

I stripped, checked over my shoulder to see the door was still locked then stepped into the warm water that fogged up the room ever so slightly. The water pricked my skin like tiny, painless needles and crawled down my arms. I put my face into the water then pushed my hair from my face.

When I opened my eyes it hit me. I had no soap. Nothing to clean myself with.

Then, as if from the Gods above that held a bit more mercy left, soap sat in the corner of the shower and a loofa in the shelf sticking out of the wall under the shower head. The bathroom was already decorated with essentials I'd needed, but already had packed away in my bag that Lilac had taken for disinfecting.

The water was heaven. The stress knots left me one by one. The thought of finally being clean after so many months felt like the universe was throwing me a bone. Like it was apologizing for my parents' treacherous decision to leave me behind. To abandon me.

I was clean of them.