Alone *UNDER CONSTRUCTION*

Chapter Seven: The Morning After

Last night was probably the best sleep I ever had. That bed was so comfortable, I fell asleep almost right away. When I wake up, I smell something delicious being cooked over in the kitchen. It smells like...bacon. Bacon!

I yank the covers off and see that someone took off my left sock and wrapped gauze around my twisted ankle.

How awfully nice of them. Anyway, back to the smell of bacon. I gently set my right foot on the hardwood floor, followed by my left. Using the wall to balance, I limp out of the bedroom and head down the hall. On the way to the source of the smell, I glance out the window to see that the walkers have cleared up in the neighborhood streets.

I see Jesse standing at the stove, a pan of sizzling bacon in front of him. Grace is sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book. When Jesse notices me, he says while placing a couple slices of bacon on a plate, "Good morning. Sleep well?"

"Yeah", I reply, "That bed is super comfortable."

I then ask him, "How in the hell are you cooking bacon?" Jesse answers, "Well, the house still has a gas line, so I all need to turn on the stove is a fire source. And this bacon's been frozen for a long time. Want some?"

He hands me a glass plate with four pieces of bacon. I grab one, and I take a bite. I really missed bacon. When Grace sees my reaction, she smiles. She has a nice smile.

Then I smell something other than the bacon. I glance over at the kitchen counter and I see a plate of scrambled eggs. Bacon and eggs. Am I dreaming?

After Jesse's done cooking, we all serve ourselves and bring our food to the table. "The eggs are from some chickens in the backyard. It's been tough having to tend to them but it's worth it", Jesse says. Well, now I know where the eggs came from. I savor every sensation I taste while I'm eating. When everyone's done, Jesse places the dishes in the sink to wash later. I go sit on the couch in the living room with Grace.

"Thanks for breakfast, I...I haven't had food like that in a long time", I tell Grace.

"Yeah", she replies, running a hand through her golden brown hair while slightly smiling, "It was nice having someone for breakfast, too. Kind of like the old days."

"Mmhm", I nod, "Hey look, I-"

Out of nowhere, Grace blurts out, "Jesse thinks that you should stay with us...until your ankle gets better."

That hits me like a slap to the face. I honestly don't really know what to say. I know that I had to wait a while for my ankle to heal enough but I didn't think that staying here was an option until now. I want to stay here, but I need to get to Philadelphia.

Jesse walks in and says, "Yeah. Your ankle is in bad shape and it should heal in no time, so maybe it's best for you to take it easy for while. We have the spare bed, the food, you can stay as long as you like."

"I don't...I don't have a lot of time", I snap, "I need to leave Woodford and get to Philadelphia ASAP!"

I don't care that I can barely walk, I have to find Anthony. He's out there somewhere and I need to find him

"Why?", Jesse asks, "What's so important about Philadelphia?"

I get confused that he and Grace don't know there is actually a safe zone out there, so I say, "Because I need to get to the safe zone!"

Now both Jesse and Grace look confused. Jesse then calmly says,

"David...there is no safe zone."