Saga of a New World - (Audiobook Available)

19. Twilight

Still, Astrid keeps her ears on alert for any unusual sounds as she steps through the broken glass panel.

The living room is undisturbed. No blood, no upturned furniture, nothing that would indicate a struggle. Astrid slowly creeps into the kitchen. Someone was recently here. Dirty dishes are neatly stacked next to the sink.

Elijah slowly follows his sister. "Astrid... this feels way too quiet. I don't like it."

"Let's just get something to eat and something to wear and we can get out of here."

Her first target is the refrigerator, but the moment she opens it, the stench inside it hits her like a wall. Astrid wretches and slams the door back shut before the smell spreads.

A bit angry, she rummages through the drawers. Elijah watches her open them until she finds one containing several large kitchen knives. Astrid stops for a moment and picks up one of the large blades. It's a massive downgrade from Fynn's revolver, but better than nothing. She's about to open a cabinet as she hears a staircase creak. They both freeze.

Astrid pushes Elijah back into the kitchen and peers out into the hallway. Feet stomp on wooden stairs from behind a closed door. She isn't sure what to do. If this is the owner of the house, she doesn't want to give them a heart attack by appearing in front of them with a knife in hand. If it's something dangerous, she doesn't want to give up her advantage. As an easy solution, she pushes the knife into her pants. The metal feels cold against her behind, but can be easily pulled out if necessary. Then she calls out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

The steps stop. For a second everything is quiet, then a girly voice asks from right behind the door, "Who are you?"

She sounds familiar, but Astrid can't remember who it is.

"My name is Astrid. I'm just looking for food and clothes and thought this house was abandoned."

The door slams open and there is the sick girl they saved from the house near High Rock.

"I can't believe you're here. What are the odds?" she says as she runs at Astrid with open arms.

Astrid is surprised by the sudden outburst of affection. Right before the girl's arms close around her, she sees the girl's mouth open and her head tilt. Astrid reacts without another thought and pushes the girl away as hard as she can. The girl stumbles back several paces before she manages to regain her footing. The friendly expression on her face is gone.

Astrid looks her up and down. The bite mark on her neck has healed nicely. The black veins are also gone, but the rest of her symptoms seem to have gotten worse. Her skin is still as pale as a corpse and her eyes are so bloodshot there's barely any white left. Even though she looks like she's about to fall over dead, she keeps her back straight and her eyes fixed on Astrid. Unlike when they found her, she doesn't seem to have any trouble walking on her own.

Now that she's standing up straight, she looks a lot older than Astrid remembers. Her instincts tell her that something is wrong and she quickly searches for an excuse. "You got a bit better. Where's Fynn's mother?"

The girl looks a bit surprised, "You mean Mrs. Rot? The sickness got her."

"She died... but you survived?!"

"Maybe my body is just stronger. I don't know." The girl clenches her teeth and moves her feet.

"Where is her body?"

The girl instantly says, "I buried her outside. What are you doing here alone anyway? And why are you naked?"

Astrid stops herself from saying that she's not alone and instead replies, "It's a long story and I'm not really naked. Just looking for a new shirt."