Short Cuts

The day I realized I was living my life off of a Harry Potter quote.

It had been exactly 4 weeks, 3 days, 6 hours and 35 minute since I had kidnapped Chloe. She was doing well, at the moment she’s cleaning the poor-excuse-of-a-home abandoned farmhouse; repainting the splintered and disfigured walls, dusting, polishing, scrubbing and she’s even made me start to do the dishes. I’m not too crazy about all of these new occupations, but at least she’s keeping busy I guess, she can’t exactly go out for grocery shopping for obvious reasons.

“Hey honey.”

Chloe bounced into the room smacking my butt provokingly with a beam spreading across her radiant face. She breezed over to the barely running fridge and prized open the tarnished door. Doesn’t she know there’s nothing in there?

“There is nothing in here.”

Told her.

She gazed up at me with a desiring look in her face.

“When was the last time you went food shopping, Ed?”

I paused for a second to contemplate, it had been awhile, to be honest I hadn’t really been eating anyway I guess I just haven’t been feeling hungry.

“Ummm…”

Chloe let out a frustrated sigh.

“See, please go out, I am starving.”

She was whining now, just by the annoyed stamp of her left foot I knew I could debate all day about how I can’t leave her because of so many risks or I could save us both time and just go out to the food store. I think option two sounds more appealing today.

I hurried over to the coat hanger at the front door.

“Alright, I’ll be gone for around about an hour. Call me if you need anything,” I had emphasized the anything. “Keep the blinds down and the lights off. Don’t answer the door until you hear four knocks, then you’ll know it’s me. I do have keys but I’ll give you warning, now if…”

Chloe seized my face and gently brushed my cold lips, making me lost on what I was saying before hand. She gently smiled and fell back down from her tiptoes but still held my face in her delicate hands.

“…It comes to a situation where you’re not able to come, go to the basement lock yourself in it and hid in the first hiding spot you see. I know the procedure now go! I’m starved!”

I grinned.

“I know. Just be careful.”

She gave me a reassuring kiss, once again, and then tenderly looked back at me.

“I will. Now … Bye!”

I assumed that was my mark to leave. I gave her soft hands back to her reluctantly, afterwards turned and headed towards the wrecked farmhouse door.

It wasn’t exactly a long drive to the nearest village food store, I really didn’t want to leave Chloe alone too long in that crap house, I didn’t trust a lot of things most of the time, but leaving the girl I loved …

I sniggered to myself. Loved, that was the very first time I had thought about the word, never mind about using it in a free flowing sentence but there it was. I loved Chloe, plain and simple. Little did I know while I was thinking this my accelerator started to creep up on me, even unconsciously I wanted to back to her. I didn’t ease up on the accelerator.

When I arrived at the store it resembled the word empty [apart from the staff]. I grabbed a basket, all I needed was the basics, and it was also all I could afford. I skimmed the long tedious rows of goods and food.

What did I need, bread, yeah we needed that, oh and butter, what goes with bread and butter? Bacon, oh yeah defiantly bacon.

I began savaging for the bacon rashes.