Until It Hurts | Part 4 x reader

4

(sorry i havent updated in so long!)

the night came and went, the shrill greetings of crickets ringing in (y/n)s ears and forcing them out of their slumber. light peeked through torn curtains, and birds sang atop the roof.

mornings were never easy to manage, in their opinion. everything seemed too stuffy, and the dust that clogged their nose caused them to sneeze every few minutes until they got outside to get fresh air. it didnt help that the blankets they used in the cold nights were thin, either.

of course, it had been nearly a week since (y/n) had encountered the young girl by their window, and in that week, they had run significantly low on supplies and food.  from meat flavored mush, to basic necessities, everything was almost gone.

so, grabbing their only other sweater and throwing it on, (y/n) bid a cheery farewell to the poor tonio locked in the closet before setting out on a quick trip once again for some food. 

on the way, they had noticed that tina seemed... off.

the corpse was usually facing the left of the path it rotted on, though now, it was facing the right. while (y/n) feared that tina may have come back to life, they also ruled in the fact that the girl they had seen may have run this way if she were to get to town.
perhaps she tripped over tina and twisted her head the opposite direction.

as carefully as they could, (y/n)s gentle fingers leaned tinas head back to the way it was always resting in, watching the vines and dirt that were stuck to her head once before happily reclaim her to the earth.

after their usual goodbye, they left. 

the walk to the small shop was never boring. not in a way that was fun or carefree, where one would skip stones on a pond or sing to themselves as they walked. no, it wasnt boring in a way that made one feel as if they were being constantly watched by something out of sight.

this 'something' could be anything. perhaps it was a something that was memorizing their pattern to find the right time to strike, or maybe it was a something that was only in (y/n)s head. nonetheless, they didnt like that something.

 the something that watched them was considered a bother.

-----

the shop still stunk of the same rotting flesh it did the first time (y/n) had come in for supplies after the outbreak of... whatever these people were killed by.

some called it a plague, others thought of it as punishment for a wrongdoing they committed. 

(y/n) saw it as nothing more than a little sickness.
 sure, this little sickness got rid of everyone on the island, but it was still little in their eyes.

the cans that had been stacked neatly on the rickety shelf seemed to have lessened, almost half of them having disappeared. it wasnt too much of a bad thing, but (y/n) couldnt say that they were happy with the small amount left. they can make one can last for a day if split between themselves and tonio, though that means they'll barely get enough nutrition to keep themselves from digesting their own stomachs.

the quivering hum of the air conditioner shook the ceiling, the machine sputtering a few times before breaking down and finally giving up. perhaps it found it was of no use anymore from the lack of care it received. this made the atmosphere tranquil-- in a way that everything was empty and dead. like a graveyard, almost, but not completely.

huffing, (y/n) shoveled a good seven cans into their backpack before grabbing one of the pens off the floor, the holder it was in laying sideways on the tile. there was no specific reason they had picked this pen, as there were several others like it littered across the floor. (y/n) merely wanted a little something to stare at while they rotted on this godforsaken island.