Fever Dream Red

41

Doug bundled Skye into the car, and the rest of us followed.

We drove for a while on the main road, but then Doug suddenly swerved off of it. We weaved in and out of suburban streets, the place eerily silent. We were ghosts and we were haunting it.

We drove further out onto country roads bordered with hedges. The sides of the car were scraped by the branches, their rough structure colliding with the streamlined piece of metal.

I couldn't help but think about how much trouble we would be in if the car gave up on us now.

Eventually we came to a farm. There were multiple barns in the place, and Doug and Alfie went out to check if it was safe. I decided to trust them together this time. The major event may have diverged their attention away from eah other. That's what I hoped, anyway.

"What's up with them two?" Chloe asked. "Are they together or what?"
"Uhm." Sunny tried to answer even if she didn't know it. "I guess? Kind of."
"I think so." I turned around to face Chloe. "Be glad you didn't show up this morning? Was it? Yes. This morning. Sorry. A lot's happened since then."

Chloe gave me a blank look.

"Right. Sorry. Yeah. Alfie and Doug had a right PDA session right in front of us. In the rain."
"It was straight out of a rom-com." Skye added.
"Oh. I thought it was quite sweet." Sunny conceded with a somewhat knowing look on her face.
"It was. In a way." I smiled at her.

Chloe looked between us and raised her eyebrows. I ignored her.

Just then Doug and Alfie arrived back.

"It's safe. There's no one in there."

It made sense that a lot of the...things wouldn't be in their homes. Most of them had been in hospitals, where they had been euthanised. Was the right word? They'd been put to sleep, anyway.

They still managed to infect others before they went, though.

As we were walking into the cottage, I peered into the pens in the barn.

I saw a lot of rotting animals. The stench made me gag.

"Don't go in there." I told Sunny.

"I wasn't planning on it." She replied, as if I was the stupidest person in the planet. Perhaps I was.

We came into a cosy cottage which smelt musty, but clean. I knew there wouldn't be any electricity, but I tried anyway.

There had been electricity in The Base and at the apartments back in Gloomy Cay. I assumed they had their own generators. I doubted there was mains electricity on the island even before the apocalypse.

There hadn't been in the diner. I had taken drinks from a warm fridge.

The lights flickered on wearily. I figured that they were that far out that they had their own generators, whoever it was that lived here before.

I could see the pictures on the walls. It was of an old couple, the man's salt and pepper hair revealing his age. The woman had a well worn smile, wrinked with joy.

The sight of them so happy made my soul burn a little. I hoped that they had gone quickly.

I was in a beamed living room, with a wooden rocking chair and a sofa with a knitted blanket draped over the top. In a bag next to it were balls of yarn, squidged together like a twine sponge.

The plentiful pictures on the mantelpiece showed a life well lived. There was a graduation picture of a young woman, hair tied back neatly with a picture perfect grin.

She had gone now.

I looked around the room and determined that my looking was done.

The kitchen was beautiful, a pastel blue teapot were among the pretty displays on the counters. I didn't know I knife board could look as splendid as this one did. Somebody had painted flowers and bees and plant to the side of it.

It made me smile. Not much made that happen.

The kitchen island was tiled with lilac squares. I traced them with my spluttered and dirty fingernails.

It was then I realised that I was less than worthy of staying in this house.

I clamboured upstairs where the others were. There were six of us. There would only be three bedroom maximum. This was not looking good.

I treaded along the hallway to the first bedroom. The comfy beds were adorned with tarten. There were twins. That was maybe four beds. Things were looking up.

The second bedroom was a double, much to my dread. It was similiarly decorated. This one also had an en suite. I wanted that one, but I wanted it preferably to myself.

The third bedroom was more personal. It had similiar pictures and paintings on the walls. The wardrobe was packed full of florals. I knew, with dread, that this is where the couple had slept.

I was intruding.

The rest of then were in the hallway, minus Skye.
"I've put Skye in one of the twin beds." Doug told us. "But there's five spaces to sort out. You know, bed wise?"
We all nodded, except for Alfie.
"Me and Alfie will sleep in the main double. Is that okay?"

I caught Sunny's eye and her eyes widened in awkwardness.

It was awkward, but it was also wonderful too. The apocalypse had given them both the freedom to be who they wanted to be.

"Could I have the other twin bed?" Chloe shot out nervously. "It's just I don't really know you guys too well," she motioned to me and Sunny," and if I was with Skye I could take care of h-"
"Them." We all corrected her.
"Oh. Right. Sorry. Them. I could take care of them. You know, if anything were to happen in the middle of the night. Emergency and all that."

Doug nodded.

"Are you two okay with sharing a room together then?" Alfie asked us.