Carrington Event

Carrington Event - Book 2 - Chapter 5

This section is from Ivan's perspective.

This was one of the best nights of rest I've had since I left home on my last trip. The time I took the pain pills in the hotel, I slept soundly but not peacefully. Being at home sleeping next to Tsu kept the nightmares away. There weren't exactly good dreams; it was more like a pleasant white fog of feelings of peace.

At some point, the pleasant white fog started turning muddy, and shadows of the memories started peaking through. But before the nightmare crushed my heart again, I felt a hand on my cheek. Opening my eyes, I saw Tsu's smile looking down at me.

"Good morning," she said. "Food is ready. Our guests came over and helped, so you got a bit less sleep. But it's time to get up."

"Damn guests, robbin' me of precious sleep," I grumbled, rubbing my face with the back of my hand. Tsu laughed softly and patted my hair.

"Come on, sleepyhead. Get up and face the day," she encouraged. I sighed heavily and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Cold floorboards greeted my feet, sending a shiver up my spine. I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the remnants of that murky dream world I'd been in.

"Alright, alright," I muttered, standing up. My bones creaked and groaned as if they, too, were protesting the early start. Tsu's warm laughter rang out in the room as I stumbled on my feet, reaching out for her.

"Please, just one kiss," I pleaded half-jokingly, but Tsu had already evaded my reach with the grace of a dancer.

"I'll go get Teruo for breakfast," she said, pausing for a second, throwing me a loving look.

"Aw, come on!" I whined, reaching out futilely. But she only blew me a teasing kiss and winked before nimbly disappearing from the room. I groaned. My body felt like it was made of lead, but at least my mind was clear after that peaceful night.

Stumbling to the bathroom, I splashed my face with water from the lake Tsu left for me, the cold shock making me shiver. After getting dressed, I headed toward the outdoor kitchen, still feeling groggy.

As I approached the back porch, Gattor's grating voice reached my ears. I gritted my teeth, already annoyed. I tolerated him, but he rubbed me the wrong way like sandpaper on raw skin. His conspiracy theories were exhausting, and his racist nonsense infuriated me.

"Thank you, Ma'am. I really appreciate you feeding me," Gattor said, his voice dripping with forced respect. Tsu made it very clear how she expected to be spoken to before, along with the consequences of crossing her.

"Of course, Gattor," Tsu replied sweetly. "Teruo, these are some new residents."

Rounding the corner, I found everyone gathered around the outdoor table. Their faces were familiar from last night, but I noticed the absence of the red-head and blond bimbo, which brought a slight tinge of relief.

I sighed internally. I needed to keep my cool, especially in front of the newcomers. As I sat, I could feel Tsu's hand on my arm, her warmth grounding me.

"Hey Gattor. Need something?" I asked, my eyes fixed on the man who always seemed to know how to push my buttons.

"Ah, came with agreed upon payment," Gattor grinned, his teeth a smoker yellow. "Part of it, at least."

Tsu placed a plate full of steaming food in front of me, my stomach rumbling with hunger. "That makes more sense," I said, ignoring the gnawing irritation that Gattor's presence brought. "Now we need to figure out what to do with the meat. Freezers are fully defrosted."

"Already on it," Gattor spoke up, his voice grating on my nerves like sandpaper against skin. "I'm shoving it in the smoker as quickly as I can. Too bad my dehydrator only works off electricity, and my generator won't run properly."