World of the Dead

A lot of Walking

Before the two of them left, Quinn realized that they needed more water. While they had two more full bottles, there was no telling when they'd be able to refill. She found it frustrating that when she managed to solve one problem, a new one would pop up almost immediately. 

She grabbed the empty bottle and went into the bathroom; the kitchen smelled too bad at this point for her to even consider going in. Without thinking, she turned on the sink faucet. Well, tried too anyways. When no water came out, she nearly smacked herself. Of course, there wouldn't be any, the world was fucking ending.

Groaning she looked around, as if the solution would magically appear. Then her eyes fell on the toilet. The tank of it to be exact. If she remembered right, the water in the tank would be clean. At least, cleaner than the bowl. 

 Still, the thought of drinking what was technically toilet water was a bit off putting, even though she knew having extra water could be the difference between life and death. With that in mind, she removed the tank cover and looked inside. To her relief, the water was clear and clean looking. Didn't smell bad either, which she took as it being safe.

As she left the bathroom, bottle full and sealed tight, she saw Kevin pulling on a new pair of socks like she had told him to. She had realized that the pairs they were wearing were filthy and had ransacked the dresser to get cleaner ones. They had enough problems as it was, they didn't need to add foot fungus to the list. Like the pair she was wearing, Kevin's new socks were for a grown man and were loose on his feet.

"They don't fit," Kevin said, pouting slightly as he tugged them up again only to have them slide back down.

"Don't worry, once you get your shoes back on, you'll barely notice," she reassured him. That was a lie, she was uncomfortably aware of how loose her own socks were.

Kevin tied up his sneakers and looked at her in uncertainty. "Isn't this stealing? Mom says that stealing is wrong. What if the guy who owns these finds out we took 'em?" He had a worried look on his face.

You didn't seem worried about stealing when it came to the peanut butter, she thought, bemused. "Don't worry bud, I'm sure he'd be fine with it. Besides, it looks like he had taken all the socks he needed." The drawer had been nearly empty; they were lucky that they had gotten the pairs at all.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. Plus, what's the chance we'll ever see him?" She began to pack the bottle into the bag. It almost didn't fit, making her wish that they had been able to find another backpack. Sadly, it seemed like the family that had lived there had taken any type of bag.

Kevin did ask how she refilled the water bottle. Not keen on telling him that they'd be drinking toilet water, she just told him that the sink worked just long enough to fill it. Thankfully he didn't pry, and they finished packing. They were ready to leave.

Leave one of the few places that seemed safe.

She told him to use the bathroom since this would be one of the few chances to use a toilet. While he did, she did a final sweep of the house in case she missed anything that could be helpful. But to her disappointment it seemed like the owner of the house had taken everything that they could, leaving little behind.

When Kevin finished his business, they were ready. They headed into the living room, both of them dragging their feet, savoring the safety of the house. But soon the front door was in front of them, and Quinn forced herself to unlock it.

It was a cloudy day and chilly. As Quinn pushed the door slowly open, she shivered slightly as a cold breeze blew over her. The road was empty of anything moving, and it was hauntingly quiet. The only sounds were the occasional clatter when the wind blew trash down the road.