An Unlikely Ally

Chapter 12 - Laundry Day

**Author's note** 

I do apologise for the long time between posts, I had a particularly intense period of uni assignments and work, I will be trying my best to get back on to schedule of every Friday (AST). Plus I will be making more author notes throughout the progression of Unlikely Ally, also feel free to add any commentary on any part of the story, I am still rather new to writing so it would mean a lot. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this chapter. P.S. I made it extra long to make up for the delay.

** End Author's note**

John's watch vibrated several times, causing him to stir from his deep sleep. "Mmm... Screw you... Let me enjoy this..." He mumbled, fiddling with the buttons silencing all future alarms and stretching on top of his new bed, burying his face between the new pillow and quickly falling back asleep.

Several hours passed and John slowly awoke on his own, stretching once again before sitting up and resting against the back wall. His new mattress was facing towards the door, and beside it was a larger than before pile of canned goods, with the beef and potato stew can open to the side of it. John sighed satisfied with last night's meal and his sleep and started his daily ritual, doffing and donning clothes, scoffing down a tin of BBQ chicken, a stark contrast to his otherwise mundane tins of tuna before finally brushing his teeth. As he was cleaning them, he noted the now diminished pile of fresh clothes, and the now musky pile in the corner of the room, before checking his watch. "Hmm, noon. Looks like today is wash day then, after I could go to the library and maybe pick up a book or two and take things easy. Then I can get to work on figuring my situation out properly." John nodded to himself before he reached over to his pile of supplies and fished out the roll of trash bags before he unrolled one and started loading in the dirty clothes. He looked over to the pillow he had been using all this time and decided to take it too. Removing the pillowcase he chucked that into the bin bag as well before pulling on the straps on the top, sealing the bag and letting it slouch as he figured out his next move.

"I need running water, which is impossible because of the lack of power." John rubbed his chin as he stared at the bag in front of him. "Why not, literal running water, like a stream? That would work, and I could fill up some water bottles." He suddenly realised, looking toward the cardboard box in his room that was full of empty water bottles but frowned. "I don't think I should drink stream water unless it was purified, by boiling it, for instance, just can't risk it. Oh, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue, this cafe has gas burners, so perfect. Right, somehow find a stream, there should be a map in the library, like a tourist guide or something. We will find out then." He said as he stood up and stretched, before finally setting off to the library.

John was sifting through several pamphlets in the geography section of the shelves, "NY parks, nope, NY historic sites, nope, NY- Nope to all. Where is Pawling, like, can I just have a 'list of natural water sources' or 'survival guide to pawling', because goodness I need that." John said annoyed and stepped back from the shelf. "Maybe, I just need to find the location info elsewhere." He sighed rubbing his hands over his face, before pausing to study his sleeve. "Fishing, oh, of course, the fuel station. That should have some tourist information, maybe a freshwater creek or lagoon is nearby. But ugh- I don't want to walk to the fuel station to find a tiny flipbook of paper when I am in here." John said before taking a breath as he paced out of the row of shelves and turned around, looking at the indexes on each shelf.

"Ok, what would tell a newcomer the location of a body of water? Come on, I am all dressed up for the occasion, what screams out 'best fishing slash hiking spots'?" John said in an expectant tone, waiting for the library itself to practically tell him. John turned to look around the library as his eyes fell upon a wireframe card holder by the entrance of the library, to the right of the door.