Future???

51

" Ringa ringa roses pocket full of posses husha busha we all fall down." Claire is now feeling good and shows it by singing this beautiful.... Well creepy song .....

I mean the way her voice and expression changes is way too creepy...

" Uh... That's nice." I gave her thumbs up 👍 with a cringey smile but she doesn't care.
Bhairav just let out a small snort looking at beaming Claire.

" Why she is that way?!" He asked more like whispered.

" Oh!!! I don't know whether you believe me or not?! But .... She is Frankenstein." I said I mean whispered back.

He blinked at me once twice thrice and pulled away.

" She doesn't have any stitches and no mismatched body parts." He said again whispering at me.

" I have stitches but inside my skin." Claire clarified making us jump at her sudden reply.

Bhairav blanched his complexion turning pale.

" Don't worry I am not offended." She said in a sing song voice dancing around.

I stifled my laughter looking at Bhairav.

We just sat down munching on fruits watching Claire move here and there and sometimes just freeze like statue. I think she is listening outside for any danger.

Well I started to hear a sudden growl making me jump.

" Oh it's the dog." Claire said in a voice that is way too innocent for her.

" You mean Hyena?" I asked in a hushed tone.

" Yeah. That one." Bhairav whispered pointing towards the window where the beast is sniffing and letting out a small snort.

" It's creepy than you Claire." I said shuddering.

Well she took that as a compliment sending me a bashful grin.
I winked at her turning towards Bhairav who is still observing the Hyena.

Well it's a one way mirror on the window and has iron grill inches away from the mirror. So no problem. We can watch it but it can't see us. Useful right!!??

" Can we adopt it?" Claire making me gasp out at her audacity.

" It will tear you into million pieces within a blink." I exclaimed turning towards still sniffing Hyena.

" What's with its persistence?!" I asked at determined Hyena.

" I think 🤔 it's our scent that clung to it." Bhairav commented rubbing his scruff.

" Damn I don't want to get caught between it's teeth." I shuddered remembering discovery channel showing how it treats it's food.

" We should find something to clear our scent tomorrow. I don't want it to alert it's pack about us as it's one day buffet." Bhairav grumbled.

" It means shopping. I just wonder still the bleaches not expired enough to clean." I wondered because it's been over 6 years since apocalypse. There is no one to produce anything. No industries No trades Nada...

" We can use some pungent smelling plants." I said liking the idea.

" Well let's try it tomorrow. Now we need rest. I will take first watch. You go and sleep." He confirmed turning towards window where the Hyena is now gone.

I turned towards my room and locking it behind before arranging my weapons near my bed. It consists of My sabre and some knife. Guns are long gone. If iron and steel starts to rust we are again going back to stone age may be who knows.
Getting food is now so rare I mostly depend on fruits and berries that grow abundantly without any human intervention even though I like those I sometimes crave some of those greasy fast food.

Without electricity and fuel ⛽ my travel mostly depends on my two sturdy legs and my cycle. I think I am lucky enough to atleast have those. No complaints.

I blew out the candles that I scorouged in the nearby house. Well I should hunt these down tomorrow and start my own collection of them. No worries there because tomorrow is shopping day. Hip hip hurray!!!
I sighed closing my eyes before drifting into sleep which includes nightmares of Jack Jac And friends becoming zombies.
The pain of losing them is becoming so distant. I don't even know my motivation to live anymore but I think I am afraid of becoming prey to anything.

I opened my eyes on hearing chirping of birds outside. Iam tired from uneventful sleeping but I am used to it now. I walked out of the room finding Bhairav munching on something lazily and Claire nowhere to be seen.

" Morning. Should have woken me!! " I said plopping on nearby sofa making it groan out in protest.

" I can't sleep so I decided to stay put. Anyways Claire said there is a store nearby. Can we check it out first?!" He said standing up.

" Why not?! Last time I checked those stores but found nothing useful anyways I have nothing to do anyways. I usually just sat near the car graveyard where you first saw or beach." I rambled.

" Sorry 😐. It's just seeing another person after this many years is still so distant I think I am getting back my rambler qualifications out." I finished again shutting my babbling mouth.

" No problem there. I am still processing that iam not the last man standing." He nodded before checking outside.

" All clear. Is there any water source nearby?! We can clean up and fetch some on our way back." He asked pocketing some hand knife in his pockets.

" Yeah there is one small waterfall nearby. We can go there." I said walking into my room to fetch my sabre and backpack 🎒.

After that I tied my shoulder length hair in ponytail. I cut my long hair while ago. It became nuisance to take care so now it's just so short I don't have to worry about keeping it in bun and its one thing to worry about.

Checking outside again I unlocked the door and bolts and got out.I stretched my limbs in the morning 🌞 Sun. The birds chirped here and there making the world alive.
I love the quietness but even it became nuisance to me. All Iam hearing was whispering of tattered platics bags floating here and there. The whoosh and eerie sounds from air blowing into building windows and occasional screeches of rats and cats. Atleast they have companions.

We both walked silently side by side nothing to converse and not digging about our past or family. It all feels vain.

We reached the said store with the rusty door swinging in light breeze and dirty mannequin to welcome us.

Claire jumped out making me roll my eyes at her.

" No one is home." She sang grinning at us.

" Fantastic." I grinned entering the semi dark store. It's really large one like really large one. It is about 6 storey building but I refused to climb the building afraid of becoming collateral damage if it collapsed. The wires are hanging here and there lightly moving with the breeze.

" I don't like searching seperately. We can do this together. Is that okay?!" I asked looking at the bones of once human body laying here and there.
It's tolerable than seeing mangled and decaying body before.

" No problem." He simply said waving we to move forward.

" Well I will check other storey." Claire informed Jogging towards the stairs.
I shrugged before moving towards the broken aisle searching for some pungent chemicals or anything we can use for covering our scent.

Well it's good for mental health to do shopping some time.