Chapter Two
"I'm getting so sick of this." I complain, throwing my backpack down on the floor in defeat and giving in to my childish alter ego- I BARELY resist the urge to stomp my feet. Silas frowns at me, but I don't care at this particular moment because I'm wet and cold, my happy glow is long gone and it's been a hellish long day- though not nearly long enough since we didn't find the others, again.
I wanted to keep going, but Silas made us stop an hour before sun down so we could find somewhere safe to sleep for the night. I know all the reasons why we can't just go walking around in the dark and I truly don't want to, but every time we stop, I can't shake the feeling that Dad's right around the next corner and I'm somehow missing him by minutes.
Far from picking the fight that I'm spoiling for, Silas walks over and presses a kiss to my forehead before slinging his own backpack down on the floor. We've cleared the house and locked the doors, even taken a few minutes to check the cupboards, but they're all empty, of course. His kiss takes the wind right out of my sails and I deflate in defeat.
"You should get into some dry clothes." He tells me as he digs in his bag and pulls out his extra pair of jeans and a sweater. His dry clothes aren't clean by any leap of the imagination, but I can't judge him because I'm in the same boat. We've been alternating them day after day- tonight I will leave my wet clothes out to dry for the following day. We REALLY need to find the others and get away from this river, and stop off somewhere that hasn't been completely ransacked so we can find some new clothes and food. I would give anything right now to be able to head back home to the cabin. "You okay?" Silas asks, pulling my attention away from my daydream about our stockpile of food waiting back at the cabin. I nod, and Silas disappears into the next room to change.
I quickly shuck off my wet clothes and drag on a pair of flannel long underwear. It isn't the most glamorous thing I've ever worn, but at least it's clean and I won't be sleeping in a pair of zombie encrusted jeans.
I stare at the gory fabric for a minute before I decide to take the time to actually wash them. They are already soaking wet, I might as well add a little soap. I test out the bathtub and am relieved when the pipes start to groan and the first dribble of water lands in the bottom of the tub. The sun has already gone down, so I doubt Silas would've let me go down to the river to fill a bucket. The water gushes forward and I quickly add the plug.
Silas walks up behind me with a handful of his own wet clothes and I motion for him to toss them in. "I'll wash them." I offer and he shoots me a grin, tossing them in before disappearing back into the bedroom.
Our clothes are disgusting, and if I hadn't already known it, the nasty rusty black color the water turns would have clued me in. I scrub them as best I can to get all the loose blood and gore off and then wring them out and drain the water. It's too gross to keep going.
"Yikes." Silas says as he walks back into the bathroom with a jug of liquid laundry detergent in his hand. "I found this by the washing machine." He says and I shoot him a grateful look as we both watch the last few dregs of scummy water disappear down the drain. I rinse the tub before I even start the water and then add a huge cap of the fresh smelling soap. My hands are starting to feel numb from the cold water and Silas gets down on his knees beside me at the edge of the tub and tries to help, but I shake my soapy hands at him.
"Don't. I murmur, and he shoots me a quizzical look. "There's no point in us both getting cold and clammy." I tell him and he opens his mouth to argue. "Can you just go start a fire?" I ask and he closes his mouth and finally nods, squeezing my shoulder on his way out of the bathroom.
