Transmission Lost

Chapter 3 - Away

August 13th

It's a nice day today. That's a lie. At least to me, it is. The stillness of the air disturbs me. There are two voices in my head. One, positive and ignorant of the current environment, tells me "what a nice day". The other one stays silent. In silence it feeds dread, biding its time. But even if it remains quiet, it whispers words of advice. Advice for the world gone quiet. Too quiet. Now that I think about it, it reminds me of a poem we were once forced to read in school. I can't remember its name.

Aleksei lifted the pen from the page of the journal and stared into the forest. It surrounded the lonely cabin like an army of dead followers. He found himself getting lost in the endless labyrinth of dead leaves and branches. He looked back down to the open journal to see a red circular stain sinking into the page. He made no attempt to wipe it off. Instead, he reached to his nostril. He could feel the red liquid slowly pour from his nose onto his hand. 

Aleksei pulled his fingers away from his face and stared at the dark red fluid sinking under his fingernails. He felt sick. The red never belonged in the spectrum he favoured. The train carrying his thoughts dumped every one of them at the station and raced with only one left aboard - the red must remain inside. Aleksei swiftly pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the nosebleed away.

"You gotta stop getting up so early and waking everyone," the sliding door slowly opened and his guest walked out to the front porch next to Aleksei.
"Good morning to you too," Aleksei put the handkerchief back into his pocket. Alina leaned against the porch railing and closed her eyes.
"What a nice day," she let the fresh wind wash over her face. Aleksei looked down at the words he wrote in his journal. Positive and ignorant.
"You writing in your diary?" Alina tried to catch a glimpse of what Aleksei had written but he closed it before she could see anything.

"It's no diary. I simply write stuff down," he frowned and placed the journal further away from her.
"So I won't forget,"
"Sure thing, nerd," Alina mocked further. The tops of the pine trees bent in the flow of air left and right. At times it seemed like they'd fall off. The constant rustling of the tall grass added to a hypnotizing ambience of the lonesome scenery. Aleksei wanted to cut the grass down, but the lawn mower proved to be better off as a supply of spare parts.

The wooden cabin sat atop a gradually descending hill, but the tall trees surrounding it camouflaged its metal roof. The hill descended into a river blocked off by a dam. It created a lake half-full of water. Whether it was safe to drink was debatable. When one walked out to the front porch, they could see the opposite river bank and dead fish scattered over the rocks. Behind the cabin was a driveway that led to a colossal field previously used for growing wheat. Now it was useless, growing weeds and tall grass instead.

The cabin was in a shape of a sharp isosceles triangle with wooden walls and a metallic roof that extended all the way to the ground. Right next to it stood a garage with the car. It was slightly bigger than the one he used back in the forest. Aleksei's family filled the space with old things that didn't fit in the attic. He recalled clearing it all out one day with his grandfather when he was younger. Aleksei smiled at the thought that all of it still sat there, gathering dust and hibernating in a grotesque peace.

The hideout had enough room for several people. There was a kitchen and a small living room on the ground floor. Even though there were two rooms with three beds each on the floor above, Aleksei chose to stay on the couch in the living room. Keeping guard over the fire in the furnace. It was true that the fire had to be well-kept at all times, but it wasn't the only reason Aleksei outright refused to sleep in a normal bed. Though it lacked proper bedding, the old couch was somewhat more welcoming. It offered a strange comfort. The little bit of consistency the couch represented made him feel like he was still at home.