***Edited version #1***
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Dellan stood in front of the intimidating array of feminine hygiene products and wondered why there ever needed to be so many different options to choose from.
Isn't a tampon just a wad of cotton?, he huffed. He held in his hand a plastic bag he'd grabbed at the front of the store, which already contained a bottle of acetaminophen. His eyes scanned for something that looked familiar, trying to rack his brain for the memory of what the box of tampons looked like that Linn used to store underneath their shared bathroom sink. His eyes settled on a box that sparked his memory and placed one into the plastic bag. He hesitated, wondering how many Ida would need or if she even used tampons, before grabbing a second box and stuffing it in the bag.
She can always leave them behind if she doesn't need them, he figured.
He quickly selected two packages of pads, not sure what it meant if the pads had "wings", but he desired to leave this aisle as soon as possible. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to try to explain to Damien or Colin why he, a male, was shopping for period supplies. As he was dropping the last package of pads into the bag, he heard footsteps approaching the aisle he was in. He turned to face whoever it would be, tucking the bag behind his back. Colin rounded the corner and met eyes with Dellan, who was standing awkwardly still and doing a terrible job at pretending to act natural.
"Oh hey," Colin said, and Dellan thought he could hear discomfort in Colin's tone, as if Dellan had caught him in an awkward position. "What are you looking for here?" Colin asked, scanning the contents of the aisle.
"Oh, um," Dellan hesitated, having not thought to come up with a suitable excuse beforehand. He looked at the products on the shelf opposite the feminine products and saw rolls of toilet paper. "I, um, thought we might need more toilet paper," he fibbed nervously. Colin nodded, believing him.
"That's a good thought," Colin said, "I think we were getting low." Dellan sighed internally with relief. The two stood awkwardly, neither sure if they should move first.
Why is Colin acting so awkward?, Dellan questioned. Dellan was used to being the insecure one. Wanting the awkwardness to end, Dellan grabbed a small package of toilet paper, making sure to shield the plastic bag from Colin's view as he walked past him and out of the aisle. Dellan paused before ducking into the next aisle to spy on what Colin was up to and noticed him scanning the family planning section of the aisle, before not-so discretely slipping a box of condoms into his pocket.
Dellan bit his bottom lip in an effort to prevent himself from chuckling as he made his way back to the front of the store where Damien would likely be waiting. The three of them had already gathered the more crucial supplies, and Damien had given Colin and Dellan a few minutes to grab anything else they might want. He passed by a display containing a lineup of Valentine's Day confections and paused. He remembered the last time he'd been inside a grocery store when he used candy hearts to distract the infected while he grabbed water and got out. Dellan still wasn't sure why the infected he encountered before joining the group had been so slow-moving. It was a drastic difference in comparison to now, where the sick came sprinting toward them with hungry rage in their eyes.
He spotted a bag of heart-shaped dark chocolates that were wrapped in befitting red and pink foils. He fondly recalled how his mum would get Linn chocolates on occasion if her period was especially miserable. He also remembered the few times Linn had been generous enough to share some with him. He pondered if it would be creepy or too forward to include them in Ida's care package. Dellan didn't want Ida to think he was trying to come onto her, which was a strong possibility considering the chocolates were shaped as a symbol of love. Dellan shrugged and added a bag to the collection of items. He was pretty sure giving a girl he barely knew a bunch of period products was already a creepy move, how much more damage could a few chocolates do? Still, Dellan worried Ida would get the wrong impression.
Well, she wouldn't necessarily be wrong, Dellan thought. He did have a crush on her, which he had reluctantly realized after having that dream. And although he'd never admit it, the only reason he'd noticed Ida was on her period in the first place was because he had been admiring Ida's butt in her skimpy pajama shorts that morning. However, he was not going through this trouble to be romantic. No, his motivation was out of sympathy. Dellan obviously had no idea what a period felt like, but he gathered it was not pleasant from his observations growing up as the only male in a house full of females.
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Dellan was relieved that Ida did not appear put off by his gesture. The two of them sat on the couch in silence for a moment, neither knowing what to say beyond the "thank you" and "you're welcome" that were already said. Dellan focused on his hands in his lap and picked at a hangnail on his thumb, acutely aware of the goosebumps that were once again spreading up his arms in response to Ida's proximity.
It's so silly to be crushing on a girl while zombies roam outside, Dellan's thoughts chastised.
"Do you know where everyone went off to?" Ida asked him.
"I think Brett went to take a nap, Damien went upstairs right after we got back, and Colin and Abby..." Dellan paused, before he came up with the lie, "they're probably sleeping too."
Maybe not sleeping, but definitely 'sleeping together', Dellan's mind joked. That was clear to Dellan from what he'd seen Colin grab at the store and the body language between the two before they'd gone upstairs about ten minutes prior. However, he figured it was none of his or Ida's business, so he kept his mouth shut.
"You're probably right," Ida said and stood up, "I'm going to go back." She gestured her head toward her spot at the dining table, "thank you again."
Dellan gave a half-smile and nod in acknowledgement before shifting his position to lay down and picked up the book he was reading before. It was some mystery novel that was already sitting on the coffee table when the group entered the house. He thought it was entertaining so far, but now he couldn't concentrate on the words. Ida was all he could focus on, and he took frequent glimpses over the edge of the book to admire her face, which bore a serious expression as she fixated on her drawing.
Dellan was not aware of how much time had elapsed before his attention was pulled away from the pretty girl across the room to Brett emerging from the downstairs guest bedroom.
Dang, he looks really tired, Dellan noted as Brett rubbed at his eyes, which had heavy bags underneath. Brett took notice of Dellan after the few seconds he took to get his bearings.
"Oh hey spor-," Brett stopped before finishing the word, "sorry, old habits die hard." Dellan gave him a smile that meant it was ok, which Brett appeared relieved by. "Do you know where Damien is?"
"Upstairs," Dellan replied.
Brett even sounds tired, he thought with concern. Brett nodded in thanks and made his way to the stairs, saying hello to Ida as he walked past her. He disappeared up the stairs, leaving Dellan and Ida alone once again.
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Dellan helped Abby prepare dinner that night, using his propane-fueled camp stove to simmer several cans of soup in a large pot Abby had pulled from one of the kitchen cabinets. Abby was using a bread knife to slice the mold-free baguette Damien had luckily found during their supply run. Dellan was grateful for what he assumed to be significant amounts of preservatives in the bread.
Everyone ate quietly, savoring the novelty of the bread's yeasty flavor. However, there was a tension that settled over the group, as they could sense anxiety from Damien, who had a distant expression in his eyes. After the group had finished eating, Ida stood to collect people's dishes but was stopped short by Damien's announcement.
"I have difficult news," he said, his deep baritone faltering a bit as he said the words. The group held their breath, except Brett, who let out a sigh from his seat in the living room. There were only enough chairs at the dining table for five to sit, so Brett had opted to sit elsewhere to eat.
"You don't have to tell them," Brett told Damien as he walked toward the table. "I will." Damien looked at Brett with concern as Brett closed his eyes and tried to rally himself to say whatever it was that he and Damien were so tense about. When Brett hesitated for too long, Damien continued instead.
"Brett has informed me," Damien sighed, "that he has... symptoms." Abby quietly gasped and the rest of the group sat in disbelief, dumbstruck looks plastered on their faces. Dellan realized, in retrospect, that Brett had been acting particularly closed off that afternoon, keeping his distance from everyone in the group.
"How could you have symptoms?" Colin broke the silence, "If I'm remembering correctly, the last time you were close enough to a runner to be exposed was the supply run before we reached Yosemite. That was a good two and a half weeks ago. I thought it took at most a week to turn." Colin looked around the group, panic evident in his eyes.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Brett said weakly. "I definitely haven't been bitten, which is why I wasn't concerned when I started to feel really tired. I thought it was just the heat."
"How do you know it's not?" Abby asked in denial, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and worried uncertainty.
"I coughed up blood earlier," he said dully. His eyes were blank, as if still in shock.
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Words: 1734
Author's note: Uh oh, this doesn't sound good... what do you think happened?
Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know your thoughts and theories!