Provisions

Part 2

Cain:

I woke up in my backyard the following morning with a really sore neck, definitely worth it though. I recollected myself inside, changed and headed out my doors for the first time in ages. I remembered every detail of my gated community, from the placement of the rocks to the the specks of pink marble peeking through in the large fountain near the entrance. There was an eerie presence in the neighborhood, most of the people I grew up with were most likely dead. There was no more security around, and there was no one in the security guard booth checking who was coming in and out of the community. I walked over to the booth and saw the thick dust layered among the floor. Where has the time gone? I tried not to think too much of it because it was going to make me sad and I didn't want today to be a sad day. So, I put on my game face and pushed open the gate and made my way down the large hill awaiting what adventures LA had in store for me today.

It took me about a half an hour to hit downtown LA and man was it a ghost town! These streets used to be flooded with crowds of people, shopping, eating, hanging out, everything of the sorts. Now, the streets were quiet, too quiet. I made my way around, looking into the old stores my friends and I would hit up on Saturday nights, nostalgia was hitting me full force in the throat. I choked back tears because I remembered the promise I made to myself. "Keep it together Cain, you can do it." And so I did, I recollected and kept walking amid the empty boulevards. That was until I made it to the sketchy neighborhoods of downtown LA. My family and friends, we would always avoid these parts of town, "Only filth live here,"my mom would say. But now, my friends and family weren't here, so I decided to take a walk into the once forbidden territory. I passed a lot of broken in houses. Garbage was piled up on every street corner, the stench of the years old trash was almost unbearable. That was until I saw a girl, hidden in an ally next to an old wooden house with a bright red door.

She may have been the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Her hair was a deep, dark chestnut brown, draping her body in thick, beachy waves, reaching past her ribcage. Her eyes were a vibrant golden brown, they sparkled like the street lights of San Francisco at night. Her freckles covered her her cheeks and nose and her lips were full and rosy. And there she was, in an alleyway scraping the cemented walls with a chalky sandstone. She caught a glimpse of me but I couldn't care less.

Soon enough, this became a routine for me. I would wake up early each morning, get dressed, and head to downtown L.A. and walk past her run down house with the bright red door. I never said a word to her, I just admired her beauty from afar. That was until one day when she called out to me.

"Excuse me sir, are you okay?" she questioned.

"Me? Oh yes of course, I- I'm sorry," I stuttered. My cheeks turned brighter and brighter red as the seconds passed.

"Are you lost?" she called out to me.

"N-n-no I'm just taking a walk, what with being stuck inside for two years and all," I let out a nervous chuckle.

"Oh. Um, care if I join you?"

"Yes! I mean no of course, I'd love the company!" Oy vey I'm such an idiot!

She smiled from ear to ear, put down the piece of sandstone and made her way over to me, she was wearing denim shorts and a baggy long sleeved tee-shirt with what looked like old paint splatters on it. "My names Farah," she said as she stuck out her hand to shake mine.

"Cain. My name's Cain."

"That's different, I like it," ,he said as she pushed away her brown locks from her face, "I always see you walking around here, any particular reason?"

"Um. No, no reason, I just, uh, like the view." My cheeks began to turn red.

I shoved my hands into my pocket and we continued the walk until we made it to the pier. Oh Santa Monica, you used to be a bustling dock and now you're so deserted, yet just as beautiful. We made small conversation throughout the walk, she sure likes taking charge. Apparently she's eighteen and went to a public high school. She told me about her family and how they managed to survive the Everdeen for so long. In return I told her about my family.