Complete Collapse

9

Lucilles POV:

As Benjamin and I made our way to the expansive kitchen I truly started to appreciate what a wonder this house was. A small slice of the past far removed from the present hell that was tainting every inch of the world, every inch of life as we would never know it again. My fingers glided along one of the walls feeling the coarseness of it beneath my calloused fingertips, admiring the beautiful shade of mandarin the yellow walls were becoming in the setting sun. The air within these walls was more crisp, cooler than the humid heat I had been living in for months. I could almost taste the smell of the old books lining one of the walls in the living room just as easily as I felt the dust settle against the walls of my throat.

"The farm was equipped with solar panels prior to the world fallin' apart," Benjamin answered in a cold tone, speaking to a question I had not yet asked him. 

"Seems like a stroke of luck you had the forethought to invest in that." My response was equally as dry as his. We may have agreed to a partnership to ensure the survival of our siblings, but there was no love or friendship between either of us, and it seemed unlikely there ever would be.

"Wasn't me. Jeremiah and I spent a week checking out different farmhouses before we found this one. We figured it was our best bet. Heatin', coolin', shelter, a place to store and grow food." He spoke and I nodded regardless of the fact his back was turned to me.

"Oh." That was all I said as we walked into the kitchen and he made quick work of pulling a variety of ingredients and supplies from different cupboards and drawers, moving around as if he was gliding on air. An effortless routine he had grown so accustomed to he clearly didn't even have to think about his next move anymore.

"Are you goin' to help or just stand there watchin'? Perhaps I overestimated your usefulness." He stopped his movements and looked up at me with a raised eyebrow, blue eyes cold as ice as they observed me. 

"I must admit, I was never much of a cook. Medical school didn't leave me much time to master the culinary art." I rubbed my hands together as I walked over to the island he was setting ingredients on top of and trying to piece together what his plan for dinner was. I watched as his face scrunched up in frustration and thought before he spun around and started digging through what I could only assume was being used as a pantry. As he returned, he roughly shoved a small rectangular box into my arms leaving me to rush my arms up to keep it from falling.

"It has instructions. Should be easy enough for you." I rolled my eyes at him as he brushed past me again and began inspecting the box I was holding. Instant just add water mashed potatoes. I let out a scoff at how infantile the task was and how stupid he clearly saw me as. I didn't argue though as I set the box on the counter beside the stove as I read over the measurements I would need to make this properly. It didn't take long for me to realize that I had very little idea of where to find a pot, let alone a measuring cup and I sure as hell wasn't going to ask him for assistance. His knife made subtle taps against the wooden cutting board he was working over as he sliced through some carrots and I began looking through each of the overhead cupboards for what I needed. I knew I would find what I needed eventually, but I hoped that eventually would come really quickly. The rhythmic chopping came to a sudden stop.

"What are you lookin' for?" A bite of frustration was clear in his tone and I grimaced while debating on if I should answer him or keep on this fruitless pursuit without assistance.

"A pot, some measuring cups. It's not like I've ever been in here." I was far more defensive than the situation called for, but it seemed he would continue to have that effect on me indefinitely. I watched as he let the knife slip from his hand and onto the counter with a clang before he spun to me, walking until our chests were almost touching. His eyes bore down on me before his hands grasped my hips and guided me to the side. He bent down and reached into the cabinet below the sink, pulling out a medium-sized pot before opening the drawer three steps to the right and pulling out a spool of different-sized measuring cups.