Hospes

part three

Ruth looked behind her.
Ted had his fingers wedged up his nose. His eyes landed on hers. "What? We all do it. " He said.
"You're disgusting." Ruth said, she turned and followed Kaí into the city.

The library was small, crammed between two different buildings, one on the verge of collapsing while the other scattered with greenery.
Ted had left them quickly after they headed for the library saying he would rather shove a nail up his dick then ever pick up a book.
Before the city was abandoned she would often venture far into it. It was often when she was scared to return back to her mother, when she wasn't sure if she was herself. She would wander the streets, cars driving past her and the the bright light brightening the darkness.
She knew her way around the city, when it was inhabitated and when it wasn't. It was stable.
Despite her knowledge of it, she did not regonize this location. She had never been here before.
Often when she saw an empty building with no inhabitance she could always remember what it looked like before. She could remember the electricity coming inside and she could remember the atmosphere.
As she stared at the now abandoned library she wondered what it looked like before it was left behind.
"Kaí, be honest is the spider in here?" Ruth asked as she opened the rusted metal door. The sound of a bell startled her. She looked up to see it hanging from the ceiling.
"I think so. We'll know for sure soon." Kaí said as he stepped inside after her.
Ruth doubted him.
She looked into the library.
It was big however it was not spacious. All book shelves crammed in rows close together. She wondered if she shoved one of the shelves, would they all fall like dominos?
The ground was a grey carpet. It felt hard against Ruth's feet.
Books covered the grey carpet. The shelves were empty, each book had fallen to the floor. Ruth didn't have to guess why.
She covered her mouth with her T-shirt. Mold was common and she didn't want to accidentally inhale any.
"Where did you say it was?" Ruth asked. She looked at the books she was standing on.
"At the end of the room, I'll show you just give me a second." Kaí said as he started inspecting the books beneath his feet. He let out a yawn.
Ruth nodded and started walking towards the end of the room. She didnt want to wait for Kaí, she was impatient.
She hated staying inside building. Originally when everything was abandoned she enjoyed urban exploring, it was interesting and it passed the time, it was also good for getting supplies.
After some time mold started growing and buildings became on the verge of collapsing. Going inside any manmade structure was dangerous now. She felt trapped, like she couldn't breathe.
She hoped Kaí was quick.
She reached the end of the room. Her eyes briefly skimmed the shelves.
After a few minutes of searching she turned back to get Kaí, she wanted to leave this.
She didn't want to admit that she found the place creepy.
"Kaí, can we go now?" She shouted underneath her T-shirt covering half her face. She walked quickly over the books on the ground. Old stories and pictures people used to find comfort in, now left alone.
Kaí did not respond.
She looked around the library, walked past different shelves, she could not find Kaís awkward frame anywhere.
"Kaí!" Ruth shouted louder. "Seriously I want to go!"
After no response she started running through the shelves.
She walked through the library door, it made a loud creak. The air was fresh against her face. The sky was slowly getting lighter, the stars were fading.
Ruth turned on her torch, the light shone against the grey buildings in front of her.
"Kaí!" She called out.
"Ruth is that you?" Kaí's voice said.
Ruth turned to see Kaí across the street, crouched over a bench.
Ruth ran up to him. "Kaí what-"
"Shhh." Kaí said putting a finger to his mouth. "You've got to be silent or she'll here you."
Ruth blinked. "What are you talking about? Who will hear me?"
Kaí grabbed Ruth and shoved her behind the bench.
"I think I just saw Azarith, you know the alien that genetically modifies humans." Kaí grabbed Ruth's arms. "We've got to hide or she'll find us."
He started trembling. "I don't want to be a plant Ruth, I hate plants!" He cried.
Ruth slowly realized what was happening. The shrooms had finally hit.
She tried to act calm, she didnt know how to act around someone who wasn't sober. She thought of how she treated her mom when she wasn't well, it should be the same.
"Kaí, Azarith isn't here." Ruth said calmly.
Kaí rocked back on forth. "No she was I swear. Look!" He pointed at a weed growing from the footpath.
Before Ruth could respond Kaí stood up quickly. "He turned Ted into a plant." He started crying. "Why did Ted have to die? I love Ted! Ted was cool."
"Kaí, Ted isn't a plant, he's alive." Ruth said as she stood up to face him.
Kaí put his head in his hands. "No!"
He ran across the street and into an old arcade, his head in his hands.
"Kaí!" Ruth ran up to the arcade.
She walked in the arcade, it was dark and a damp smell came inside.
She turned on her torch and flashed it across different arcade games.
She had been to another arcade before, she remembered going with Kaí. The last time she went they had all been scammed, she remembered leaving with her pockets empty.
She wondered if the machines in this arcade were scammers. She would never find out.
Her torch landed on Kaí crouched on the ground behind an arcade game Ruth didn't regonize. It was one of those games people tried to kill aliens with.
He was rocking back and forth, his hands clutching his hair.
Ruth slowly approached him. She had the faint sense of deja vu, trying to calm her mom when she wasn't well. Her mother was unpredictable, sometimes she was angry another time she was sad or anxious. Either ways, Ruth spent her childhood learning how to interact with each one.
She tried to remember how she would do it.
"Kaí." Ruth whispered.
Kaí rocked back and forth. "She's coming for me Ruth, she's going to get me."
Kaís pupils were dilated and his face covered in sweat.
"She's not coming for you Kaí, she can't get you here." Ruth leaned against the walls next to the game station. "Besides if she does get in, I'll protect you."
Kaí continued rocking back and forth. "She can't get me here?"
Ruth shoke her head. "No, this place is safe."
Kaí continued rocking back and forth, his hands knotted in his hair tightly. "I don't want to be a plant."
Ruth rubbed her eyes. "You're not going to be a plant, I promise."
Kaí started trembling. "I don't want you to become a plant either." He grabbed Ruth's arms. "Don't leave."
Ruth smiled. "I'm not going to become a plant."
Kaí continued trembling.
Ruth wished Ted had stayed.
She heard the sound of cockroaches running across the ground.
Ruth sat across from Kaí as he continued to be trapped in a state of paranoia.