5 Days

Day 4

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I woke up feeling awful. A headache from hell clouds my thoughts. The light sunlight streaming into the room was enough to sear my eyes. I lay there in silence waiting for the throbbing to ease a bit. Deciding I should get up, I turn to check on Ani. She's curled into a tight ball on the couch in a troubled sleep. She's not feeling well either. Scooting closer I gently placed my hand on her face; she has a fever from the sunburn.

I really wish I had thought of sunscreen. I just didn't think about it, of course the sun would bother us we hadn't been exposed to UV for months.

I decided to let her sleep for as long as she wants today, we were going to be resting here for a few days until we felt better. Not too long though, I needed to calculate how long till we needed to find more food.

I shuffle through my bag to find the aspirin from yesterday. Theres no telling how old these are but they'll have to do. Taking 2 I scope out the living room, I hadn't checked this house last night, I was too exhausted.

Luckily or unluckily, just like the rest of the houses we'd been to this place seemed to be abandoned.

I take in our surroundings. Dated wallpaper, crocheted couch covers, eggshell blue curtains. This place would have been charming under better circumstances. A perfect encapsulation of grandma's house.

I bet it used to smell like cookies.

Or smoke.

I think back to last night. I'm not much of a smoker but damn did I need it at the time. I stare blankly outside, my mind drifting to darker thoughts. I shake my head.

After procrastinating for long enough I quietly start looking though the farmhouse.

Nothing, absolutely nothing. There wasn't even any clothing left behind. All the drawers and closets were filled with dust.

I sigh. It would have been nice to find medicine of some kind, even lotion would have been helpful.

I sit on the creaky metal bed in a yellow themed bedroom I found upstairs and look around.

I had been doing a lot of thinking since yesterday.

What happened to everyone? This was a question that had been bothering me since we left the bunker. We hadn't seen a single other person in the 2 days we had been traveling.

I didn't know if that was a warning of some kind.

Getting up I walked back onto the landing; the upstairs was just as empty as downstairs. The only things left behind were the several dozen dusty books left on the shelves lining the walls.

Maybe I should bring a few for Ani.

I skim my fingers over the books looking for any children's books.

I pause on the velveteen rabbit. I had been gifted the same book at Ani's age.

I smile a little, this might be a bit too young for Avani. She had to grow up so fast, it wasn't fair.

Not finding any other books beyond world war history books my anxiety over leaving Ani alone drives me to go back downstairs.

I was on the first few steps of the stairs when something odd caught my attention.

A curved groove in the carpet lining the floor by the bookshelves.

Theres no way.

I slowly make my way back to the bookcase and inspect it a little closer. I quietly move the chair blocking my way.