This Is What's Left

Chapter 5, Alive

"A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts."

~ Steve Fergosi

-Jacob-

It was certainly a new problem, having a group with four adults versus two. On previous runs, One item I rarely filled was alcohol, as drinking was something Amber and I would only ever do as a way to calm the nerves. We rarely celebrated, as we both were so focused on what needed to be done the next day. It wasn't a bad thing by any means, but it was a constant.

But now, with Jack and Noel, it was kind of like our spirits were a bit lighter. Jack was a decent worker, but he also was very good at making a moment that was dull rather bright. It had become a bit more common for nights to end in laughter, after Amber and I made plans for the next day, it seemed like we were all meeting in the dining room, pouring drinks and starting to laugh.

Again, nothing of that was wrong, but it was presenting a new problem. We were rapidly running out of the meager supply of liquor that we had. Food wise, we were fine. Water and medical supplies were in great shape. But, not a lot of liquor. So, the night after my stitches were removed, and about 10 days after Jack and Noel had discussed and decided to stay, Jack held a group meeting.

"Now listen up, everyone, Bailey, you taking notes?" From the spot next to me, Bailey nodded, a notebook in her hand with a mechanical pencil. Jack and Bailey had grown a fondness for each other, as Bailey got to be a bit of a troublemaker with him. The two had taken to having small hijinks throughout the home, whether it was something super small like trying to scare others, or something a bit more mischievous, such as when they put chili powder in the briefs of Amber and myself. ,I hadn't paid much attention until then, having to have a serious talk with them about wasting supplies, and clothes.

But still, the two were getting along famously, and I was happy to continue to see Bailey in such a great mood.

"Good!" Jack continued, walking back and forth while everyone else was seated. He had his hands together, rubbing them back and forth as he stopped in the middle of the room, turning to face the room, "Now, I think we need to address a couple of the things that we as a home are severely lacking. First! Let's talk as a group, figure out if we're all on the same page. Noel, honey, babes, you first!" In a dramatic flare, he bent forward, as if to give her an invisible microphone. She gave him a quizzical look, and just shrugged.

He sighed, shaking his head a bit before looking to Amber, "Amber, dear. You've always been an amazing member of the team. What do we need?" His face was a strong mix of concentration and amusement. Amber cocked a small grin, before looking him in the eyes, "A piano."

Jack paused, while I attempted to hold in a snicker. He looked back to me for a moment, then returned his gaze to amber, "A Piano" She nodded her head, casually. After a few moments of silence, he moved to me, "Give me something here. I'm beggin ya."

"You want us to go to a liquor store. We ran out of whiskey two days ago, and you want to fix that," I stated, matter-of-factly. A very wide smile grew across Jack, as he jumped up, "Yes! Well, very close. I want to go to a bar. A nice, casual visit. C'mon guys, don't cha think this would be a great time to bond, and spend some time outside of the house?"

I shook my head, "You're forgetting a lot there. We're pretty secluded here, so it's safer. Not to mention I don't really think that Bailey is old enough to be bar hopping," Jack paused for a moment, looking at the group.

"Then one of us would just have to stay home, and as for safety, as long as we stayed out of downtown, figure we'll be fine. Oh come oooon Jackey pleeeeasse! Hell, if you would feel better you and I could go check the place out first," He looked at me begging, and I looked over to Amber, who was also just looking at me. I took a quick glance to Noel, whose eyes diverted to the ground. Amber shrugged, so I looked back to Jack, "Fine, but we need to pick a place with a decent location. Over by the garage, there should be yellow pages. Get to looking."