The Decay

Chapter Two

. . . .

"Everybody up!"

I wake up with a start and feel Tanner do the same.

"What? What is it?" He asks half asleep.

"Is it them? Oh, god!" I look around in a panic, "Are they here?"

"Hey. Hey! Calm down, both of you. Nobody is here. We found a place to stop for a while. Just get out of the car."

I step out to the blinding sun and a house surrounded by trees, again. I groan.

"Maybe I'm being childish considering the situation but I would have loved to have a view other than a bunch of dead trees for a while."

"Trees provide camouflage." States Noah seriously, "Camouflage means we don't die."

I sigh and he finishes, "Most the time."

We all head towards the house and bring the little supplies we have with us. Noah halts us at the steps and brings out a gun, "Wait here." He goes up to the door and bangs on it three times before pushing his ear against the door in silence. He waits. After a minute or so and another knock with no sound, we enter.

The house is neat and seemingly cozy. Everything is made up like it hasn't been touched in a while but pictures still hang on the wall signaling that someone lived here. I approach the first picture and examine the faces, feeling obliged to at the least know the faces of the owners of the house I'm in. I'm surprised to see one of the faces resembling a younger Noah.

"Hey, how did you find this house if it's back here anyway?" I ask him.

He glances at me and the picture I'm standing at and says, "Yes, that's me."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Doesn't it? If it's me in the photo, who else's residence could this be?"

"A family member."

"Same thing."

Tanner walks over to look at the picture and turns uninterested away.

"Why didn't you just say we were coming here?" He asks Noah with accusation.

"I wasn't sure we were," He said examining us, "Is there a problem?"

"Oh, I just don't remember saying I wanted to play house with you in the middle of the apocalypse."

"Tanner! What is you problem?" Says Sarah embarrassed.

"Listen, kid. No one is playing house. It's called surviving. Maybe if you hadn't been brooding this entire time you would notice that you sister is sick and needed to get off the road."

Tanner and I both whip to Sarah and for the first time I notice that besides the usual tiredness and exhaustion, she seems a little off balance. Though I wasn't the one complaining, I automatically felt guilty for not realizing either.

"Sarah," started Tanner with something other than anger or blankness in his tone, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just need to rest a while."

Noah helps Sarah to her room and we follow behind. I felt guiltier with each step we take. After Noah saying something, I start to notice all of it. How she stumbles every few steps, the dullness in her eyes, the way her bones are much more visible. She trips up the steps and I take hold of her hand to balance her and feel the cold clamminess of her fingers.

She gets settled into bed and Noah gives her a bottle of water from our stash that she takes timidly. We start to leave so she can rest and when Tanner and I are out of the door, she calls for Noah. They whisper but I stop to hear them.

"What do you think is wrong?"

"Nothing serious." He replies, "Don't worry. You haven't had real sleep in a long time and they haven't fed you anything but scraps every once in awhile. Not to mention that you're dehydrated something fierce. Your body is running on fumes."

I hear the bed sigh and figure he sat with her.

"Were you giving up your rations?"

"What?" She asks.

"What they gave you, did you have them give most of yours to the kids?"

There's silence for a while.

"I had to. They already gave them so little and Miyonah... Her and Tanner were wasting away. I... I had to."

"You'll get better." He whispers. "You just need to rest and get some food and water in you."

Again, I hear him get up to leave.

"Can you stay with me?" She says softly. "I just... I feel-"

"Of course." He interrupts. "Of course I will."

I peek over feeling overly nosy and see her laying on his chest with his arms around her. She closes her eyes and he smooths her hair.

I quietly walk away with tears in my eyes from finding out she gave us her rations and from seeing the love that is so clearly between them. I find my room and lay face down on my pillow and finally start falling asleep without feeling the intentions of disgusting men with dirty thoughts lingering outside my door. Instead, I have the guilt to haunt me.

Miyonah falls asleep and in the other room, Sarah whispers to Noah that she's in-love with him before falling asleep as well. Downstairs, Tanner sneaks out the door.

****So, there's chapter two. I hope these aren't too long. I never word count because I feel it's best to just write what feels right. Hope you enjoy and feel free to give feedback! It's appreciated.****