To survive without them

chapter 11

The stench of the hallway slaps my nostrils, insulting them. This place could give a skunk a run for it's money. I creep through the dark hallway carefull to walk on the edges like Taylor and Chris had told me to, to avoid some of their newest booby traps. I scale the creaky stairs till I creep up onto the highest floor.

Light pours in through the windows and the mess in the corner has been cleaned up. Hmf they must have been expecting me, besides two days ago when I had returned without Chace for the first time I gave them a lesson on how to look after themselves. I had given a few of them a haircut, like I had with Curly, and mended their clothes.

"Hello?" I whisper, into the empty room. Even though the place is wide open no-one responds.

"Abagail?" whispers a voice back. It is soft and childish. It belongs to Chris, Taylor's little brother.

"Chris where are you?"

"Umm in the bathroom"

"Why are you in the bathroom, hang on I am coming"

"No don't come in!"

"Why?"

"Because...because..... I am naked"

I back away from the bathroom door. Why is he naked, he knows the water in this apartment can give him diseases, besides they normally shower in the creek.

"Why are you naked?"

"They kinda......... ripped" he whispers, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"What did you do?"

"I was cleaning up a bit while the others went so when you came it was all clean, and my top and pants got caught on the wall and they ripped off"

"Do you have spares?"

"Yes in the cupboard can you get them?"

My eyes scan the room and fall upon an old wooden cupboard with splitters fraying on the edges. I cautiously tiptoe through the room not wanting to start a trap and pull his clothes out of the cupboard. I throw the clothes into the room and he gets changed.

"Where are the others anyway?" I ask as I plonk myself down on the springy couch, dropping my backpack beside me.

"Raylor took some of the boys to go get something for you and the others went for some food"

"So they just left you here....on your OWN!" I fume, why would you leave a boy his age alone in this apartment, in Deathdog territory. Are they crazy.

His eyes roll into the back of his head as he thinks."Yes" is all he can say.

I slump down even more."How long will they be I kinda have things to do"

By things I mean going to the creek and taking a nice long bath, the showers went out at the station yesterday, leaving me smelling worse than wet dog. You probably can't tell though, everyone smells like that now.

HE chuckles. "They should come home right about now" he smiles, plonking down on the couch next to me. I put my arm around him. HE was always my favourite of their bunch. So small and fragile, yet he always was more mature for his age. I guess I liked the similarities between us, we never really fighted and he always hung around me btv(before the virus).

I stare out of the window, the funny thing is even in bad times the sky never changes. Always a pale blue or dark grey, you can always rely on it.

A rumble from downstairs tells me some of the boys are home. I get off the couch and pick up my pack. I have waited two hours for them, on the couch doing nothing, they have sure ruined my bathing plans. I couldn't leave little Chris alone. I give Chris a wave and he understands, why I must go. I stride through the room in long steps and yank open the stair case door. I stomp down the steps, daring to make as much noise possible, just to piss Taylor off.