The World We Live In | 𝚃. 𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙾 ♤

Chapter 2

 One month later

A bright light greeted Cristine's slowly parting eyes and, with a discomforting grumble, pressed her face full-first into her pillow. Just as the shadows of her sleep threatened to pull her back in there, loud bangs on her door made Cristine jump up from her mattress. Her curls bounced around the sides of her face and shoulders. She swiftly reached for the weapons underneath her pillow. She crept to her window and peeked through the curtain with her eyes sharply curled at the edges. Blinking, Cristine registered the figure and, with a defeated sigh, put the safety back on her gun and loudly marched to her door and pulled it open. The rich smell of home fry and coffee hit her face, but Cristine's agitation of wakening up so suddenly. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" She opened her mouth to talk, but her sister already breezed past her with two trays of breakfast and put them down on the small table. Cristine her glazed, half-lidded eyes squinted together from the harsh morning sun that was already ablaze in its full glory. The sleep still had her brain in its grasp, and rubbing her tired eyes with the curve of her finger, Cristine looked over her shoulder where Hailey position their food and utensils.

"I got you breakfast and coffee before it was all gone again." Hailey piped up with a big smile on her flushed cheeks, gleam like pretty diamonds. "Else, you'd sleep the whole day." Her chipper mood didn't go unnoticed, and it made Cristine grumble, but she was thankful for the coffee at least. Before passing, she planted a kiss on the corner of her baby sister's forehead and plopped on the chair adjacent to Hailey's. Watching how Hailey meticulously smear her toast with freshly churned butter, Cristine felt her appetite creep up.

"I think I'm allowed to, given that I did the late shift," Cristine reminded, and a soundless yawn spilled over her lips and sniffed the pleasant food. Hailey pressed the warm mug in her palm, and Cristine slowly sipped the hot beverage. It wasn't that bitter, and the caffeine tasted exceptional when it hit her tongue. "Is that honey?"

"Yup!" The last letter popped from Hailey's plump, cherry lips, and her smile was bright and dazzling. "the result of simple stitching to a bad cut with a bit of flirting and voila; a special cup of coffee to go with breakfast." Brushing her shoulder-length locks aside, reminding Cristine she needed a haircut, Hailey looked very smug and accomplished, and Cristine shook her head. "C'mon, you like it, and it's a good treat before going out."

Cristine's dimpled smile erased the suspicious expression for Hailey's upbeat mood. "So that's why you're acting like a bouncing ball. You're excited."

"Of course! I mean, we usually stay behind the fences because we have our responsibility here. We never go out if we don't have to."

"Exactly, we're only going because we need medical supplies and equipment. We're the only ones who know what to look for, and it needs to be quick," Cristine kept her excitement dampened, but she didn't want to ruin that of Hailey's for the time being. It was still a risky mission, but if what Troy told her was true, this run was going to be life-changing. A few days ago, he and the militia found a medical institute. According to the pamphlet, it boasted of its medical assisting labs with the same equipment as hospitals and clinics. It was a goldmine, which was both positive and negative. The first places people went in overpopulated places were supermarkets and hospitals, so it was either overrun by the dead and stripped empty by looters. Or both. They had a rough outline of the map, and after scouting it, there was a way around to sneak in and out without much ado.

"Aren't you a bit excited? After we won from the Nation?"

"We didn't win if they're still alive."

"They fled the only place they knew as their home, even if they wanted to take ours. I mean, it's almost been a month, sis," Hailey softly added and tapped her fingers on the side of her cup with light optimism. Cristine was naturally a pessimist at heart, so unless they identified corpses of at least Walker, she'd never feel they were safe. Not really. If it something, it meant to be more vigilant than before. When Troy and the militia went out for the last attack to indefinitely take out the Nation, the truck stop was empty. All their vehicles and tents were gone as if the land swallowed them. It was a bitter victory; many wanted retribution for everything lost and done to them by the Nation. They were still vigilant and had their eyes wide open and ears cocked for even a shift in the sand. They fortified the walls and gates. Covered with spiked barrier traps made of wood and metal. Two large iron doors formed an enclosure and could only be opened from the inside. Accepting new members was necessary with the acreages of the Ranch. A lot of land with a lot of people lost to defend it as well. They took new people under stringent rules. Cristine hated it due to the obvious bias from the majority and voiced her aversion to it. James was able to establish leniency in staying open to people that could contribute.