Final Days (MCSM Fanfiction)

Chapter 5 - Not So Alone

19:00 - Day 1

Jesse's eyes slowly opened. Immediately she just wanted to close them again, wishing she never woke up in the first place. Everything hurt.

She was still lying on the ground in front of the fireplace. A few flames were still steadily burning through the logs.
Jesse felt stiff all over, thankfully no longer as cold as she was earlier. There was heavy throbbing radiating from her right side, not only from her ribs but also her shoulder. Her head pulsed with pain.

Groaning slightly, Jesse forced herself up into a sitting position. She pulled herself upright, nearly toppling back over with pain and fatigue. Nonetheless, she still limped over to the fireplace, weakly picking up another log and adding it to the fire.

Jesse let out a slow sigh, loving the heat that the flames emitted, an unimaginable relief in the cold. She was almost mad at herself for having drifted off, knowing what a dangerous move that was. It had grown dark outside the house, but no wind were heard any more.

Jesse shakily limped back over to the couch, sitting down on it. She took that as an opportunity to look herself over, checking her injuries.

She clearly had been prepared for the weather, finding that she had three sweaters on beneath her jacket, along with a quite woolly long-sleeved shirt. With it she was dressed in a thick, warm pair of pants, and sturdy winter boots.

Jesse found no wound on her shoulder, but was barely able to lift her right arm. She guessed that whatever hit had broken her ribs, also did a number on her shoulder. Fortunately she found no other open wounds other than the one on her head, and the gashes on her cheek.

Jesse shivered slightly, but not from the cold. More from fear. What had happened to her? And how was she going to get out of the situation?

"Keep yourself together." Jesse told herself out loud, hating the visible tremble to her voice.

She turned her head in the direction of the window, only barely able to make out the dark night sky through the frosted glass. Well, she was stuck until the morning, so there was no point in tearing herself up over her next move. Her best bet at that moment was to have a look through the abandoned house, see if she could maybe find anything to eat or drink. She wasn't very hungry, but definitely parched.

Jesse heaved her sore body off the couch, clutching her side as she glanced around. It was mostly open concept, a dining area not too far from the living room and a tiny kitchen fitted into one of the corners. It didn't look like the house belonged to much more than one, or maybe two, people.

Jesse staggered slightly in the direction of the kitchen area. She sneezed slightly as she breathed in more dust. As she did, Jesse realised there was a very faint, but unpleasant smell in the air. Then again, considering the place was abandoned, she wouldn't be too surprised if the fridge was full of spoiled food.

The first thing that caught Jesse's attention, was a can on the counter. She reached over, picking it up and turning it over. Squinting slightly in the dark.

"Peas. Well, disgusting, but better than nothing." Jesse muttered, placing the can down.

She opened the first cabinet, quickly closing it again when she only saw some mugs and glasses. She had a similar reaction to the next one, only seeing a few plates and one bowl. Yeah, there definitely didn't live a lot of people.

Jesse pulled open the next cabinet, her hopes lifting slightly at the sight of some more canned foods - at a quick glance it looked like more peas and some peaches. There was also an unopened bag of crisps, and a jar of honey. At least she wouldn't be dying of starvation right off the bat.