I'm up before the sun because of the shivering. It's not warm, and even with all the blankets I'm still cold. It's nowhere near as bad as the night I spent in the back of the truck, but I miss the warmth Silas provided sleeping beside me. I'm too nervous to start a small fire like he would have done, because the smoke is probably how those men found us. I know I'm in the middle of nowhere, but I'm all alone and I don't want to attract zombies either- so I tough it out.
I get up and prowl around the house in the dark, bumping my shin against a chair in the kitchen, it throbs and makes my eyes water, but I take a few deep breaths and bite back the cuss words that want to roll off my tongue. I can make out a little bit from the moonlight peeking in the windows and after a bit of searching I find the can of ravioli that I left on the counter. Finding the can opener nearly makes me crazy, but eventually my hand comes across it's bulk. I had forgotten that I'd left it sitting in the sink.
I don't attempt to open it yet, and after adding a spoon to my pocket, I carry it back through the house with me, making sure I'm careful when I get near where the coffee table should be. I don't need another ache if I can avoid it. I find the door to the garage by feel and bend down and pick up the flashlight that I left on the floor beside it.
I go into the garage, shutting the door tight behind me and turn on the flashlight. Everything is exactly how I left it. The garage doesn't have any windows so it's safe to turn on the light. I sit down on the step and flip my flashlight on its end so it's shining up towards the ceiling and it lights the area, then I pull the can opener and spoon from my pocket and set to work on the ravioli.
It's been less than a week that Silas and I went so hungry, but that's all it took to give me a new appreciate for being able to have food to fill my belly. I hope wherever Silas is now, they are feeding him. The thought makes the ravioli sit like a rock in my belly. I need to make a plan and hurry it up.
I still have a couple hours until daylight, so I decide to inventory. I can't risk losing all this stuff by driving around with it in the back of the truck, so I'll have to unload it all. It's hard to know if it will be safe left here or not, but it has a better chance than coming with me.
I go to the truck and open-up the tail gate, trying not to let it thud down. The first thing I come across is the duffel bag, I pull it off the end of the tailgate and it lands with a quiet thump on the cement floor. I crouch down and unzip it, but it's just a bunch of clothes. I toss it to the side because the clothes might be something Silas can use after I get him back.
I climb up into the back of the truck and unhook the tarp, rolling it up and tossing it down to the ground. Then I start lugging the boxes of canned goods towards the tailgate and stacking them near the edge. It takes a bit of back and forth, before I have to jump down and lift them to the floor. I'm sweating like crazy by the time the truck is unloaded, but at least I'm no longer cold. I've had to shed my jacket and am just working in my sweatshirt. I take a long
drink of water, from one of the bottles out of the flats of water I found near the back, and then I start cutting open boxes and taking inventory.
Boxes of dry goods, canned goods, candles, blankets, and knives- seem to make up the majority of what they've got stacked in here. I take a handful of candles and matches and set them aside to add to my bag, along with more granola bars. I make a face at them, but they are the ultimate survival food. Loaded with calories and protein, but lightweight and easy to lug around. I do sort through the boxes though and find a few new flavors- even I have my limits. I even add a few small cans of tuna, turkey, and ham, even though they will make my bag heavier, I weigh the pros and cons and decide that I'm willing to carry it.
