His Only

Chapter Six Chores

Snapping me from my flashback I heard the door open quietly. I decided to keep my eyes close, not move and breathe peacefully as if I was asleep. I heard her walk in, tiptoe to me, pull the blanket over me and leave quietly. The door closed again and she walked away leaving me alone. After a while, I heard her walking past my room to her own going to sleep for the night. I got up and looked at the computer pursing my lips wondering how it worked.

I sat down in the chair turning the lamp on and began rummaging through the drawers in the desk. Luckily I found a book in the first drawer, left behind I was guessing, titled "Computers for Dummies".

Interesting name for a book, maybe a guide of sorts? I pondered.

I opened it up and began reading. I read it completely almost two times when I heard an alarm nearby. I closed the book the information swirling in my mind turning off the lamp laying back down in the bed. Listening I heard Sarah getting up and jumping into the shower. After a while, she left her room and walked to the kitchen. I could hear and smell coffee being made. Not long after a cup being picked up. Something being stirred before she left the apartment. After waiting a few minutes I got up leaving my own room moving to the kitchen noticing a note on the fridge.

I skimmed over it reading where cleaning supplies were, machines and other small assortments. With the bottom reading "Remember stay positive!". I sighed waiting a few more minutes before also leaving the apartment so I could go hunt. Leaving the apartment I noticed the girl from yesterday across the street from the building watching me. Moving quickly I tried to leave the area hoping she wasn't actually looking at me. Something tells me I wasn't that lucky.

I walked through town speed walking hoping to get to the forest quickly. However, I felt like I was being followed and I felt a little annoyed. I moved through town trying to lose her, but it wasn't until I got closer to the outskirts where the forests started that I was able to get away from her. Knowing how hunters are I knew I lost her because she was done following me.

She definitely knows by now. Cities are not the place for me. Emily, please wake up soon. We are not safe here. I thought desperately.

I hunted a few preys trying to get back quickly. I was in luck, not even an hour later I was headed back to town feeling much more energized than before. I got back to the apartment and began cleaning up the neglected apartment. I got the apartment completely spotless just before Sarah even got home. When the door opened I was back to rereading the book trying to make sure I understood everything I could. I heard footsteps approaching my room looking up I smiled at Sarah closing the manual.

"Welcome home," I said cheerfully.

"The place looks amazing Jake," she said in awe. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, a manual I found. 'Computers for Dummies' it says," I said shrugging. "Never saw a computer before, so thought I'd try to learn."

She giggled walking inside looking at the computer.

"Well can't say I'm too familiar with them myself, but it is a pretty cool thing. The world all wrapped up into one little machine," she said sighing softly moving a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Do you think you could teach me how to cook?" I asked suddenly thinking about Emily.

"Oh! Of course!" she said becoming very excited.

The thought of teaching me something basic brought here so much joy. She took my arm and I stood up following her to the kitchen. The rest of the night she taught me how the stove worked, the pros and cons between the stove versus the oven versus the microwave while also giving me good information about how the fridge keeps things cold enough to not spoil as fast. Part of me knew that people learned this stuff probably well over a decade before me, but learning was always entertaining. We heated up the leftover Chinese and ate together. 

She told me that Emily's condition hadn't changed and that wasn't actually a bad thing. Part of me was kind of disappointed that she wasn't waking up yet.

"You must miss her a lot," she said looking up at me empathetically.

"Yeah I do," I said sighing. "I want her to take her time, but at the same time every day I hope she wakes up."

"I know," she said. "How about a fortune cookie?"

"Okay," I said a little confused.

She stood up grabbing something from the kitchen before coming back handing me a cookie in a bag. She opened hers and snapped the cookie in half pulling a small sliver of paper out of it, before eating half the cookie. I mimicked her motions looking down at the paper that came out.

'Good things come to those who wait' was written on the paper. I chuckled surprised at the accuracy.

"Get a good one?" she asked.

"Indeed I did," I said giving her the paper.

She started giggling looking up at me handing it back to me.

"I think its pretty ironic," she said smiling. "Very true though."

We talked idly for a while before she went to bed. I started to wonder how she had time to do much since she seemed to just sleep, work, eat and go back to sleep day in and day out. The next few weeks were mostly uneventful. I learned how to do laundry downstairs in the laundry room, the giant machines they had were very intriguing, and learned that there was a library was nearby. Every so often when I finished the chores for the day I would go to it and read a book or two. I focused on manuals and self-help books finding a lot of comfort in them.

Jack always did say I was the studious one. I thought picking up a book.