The Lesbian Gene (Lesbian, Gay, GirlxGirl)

Chapter 14: Complications

Told her what?

I took one good look from one person to the other, but it felt more like an inside thing.

Audra, in any case, folded her arms, simply gave Neil a stare.

Hanz cleared his throat, looking lost as well. "Guys?"

"Fine," Audra said, as if a silent agreement had taken place. "Do it your way, Neil. But if we run out of stocks, you know someone needs to go up and replenish. That needs to be me. Got it?"

Hanz placed down another can of sausage, his face reflecting my reaction, lost in the conversation between friends. "Enough of that," he murmured. "We'll talk about everything after we'd eaten."

As quickly as we'd discussed about the shortage of food, the three of them began distributing what we could eat for now. All of us having the same, unappetizing product.

I was talking about the canned sausages. They were all that we had. Yet I could not bring myself to even stare at them. I mean, how could I even at such circumstances?

Each time I wanted to look at the food or acknowledge my own hunger, a cold draft of wind would blow to our side of the sewer, bringing with it the putrid stench of rotten eggs and the stink of urine. Add to that, the thought of the grime everywhere, and dirty sewage water in the middle of the tunnel, just a few feet from us, were making me sick. There were also drips coming from the ceiling here and there. We were lucky enough to be walking on dry ground on the side.

Hanz, himself, was having his own dilemma. "Guys. . ." He looked disheartened as he raised his can. "Maybe I should eat another time after all."

"Why?" Neil was quick to argue as always. "So you can slow us down? So you can rely on Audra?"

"I'm not trying to rely on Audra." Hanz's face had pinched into a scowl. "I can go up there to restock myself, but. . ." He swallowed, looking disgusted. "I don't eat this, remember? I'm vegan."

"More for me then, I guess." Neil wasn't discreet at all when he grabbed Hanz's can and started gorging on its contents. "You'll die down here if you're that picky. Same with you, Leighton." I glared at him. "Continue getting that weak stomach in your own way, and soon natural selection will take its place."

Audra set her sausage can down too, leaned her head against the mucky wall. "Maybe we should just go to sleep," she murmured. "This had been a pretty long day."

I didn't know how I managed to do it, but somehow after all that had happened, I found myself sleeping like a log— I knew because from sleeping one moment, I was awoken suddenly. Harshly. Someone tugging at my arm as if there was an emergency.

Opening my eyes, all was dark and blurry, until someone pointed a flashlight at my face.

Immediately, I knew who it was.

"Neil?" I said, my voice strangely weak. Everything about me was sore. Especially my leg. Sleeping on the floor just barely a few feet from the sewage water didn't help my case.

Neil's face leaned closer to mine. "Come with me, Leighton. Bathroom break."

My eyes snapped wide open. Bathroom break? What?

Glancing at both Audra and Hanz, I found the two of them still asleep. Maybe I was still dreaming too, yet the insistent tug on my arm felt really freaking real. So much so, that I found myself getting on my feet, using the crutches as leverage, yet the throbbing on my leg almost brought me straight back down.

"Easy," Neil whispered, moving a step back. "We don't want the others waking up, do we?"

"What are we going to do?" I said.