Rid the People

Chapter 3

Cassidy squinted against the sunlight washing her face. For a moment, she could hear quiet murmurs; the sound of secret exchange in the early hours of dusk. She pushed herself from the floor and looked over at where Lizzie sat, opposite Dan, the two conversing in quiet conversation.

Upon hearing Cassidy shuffle, Lizzie looked over. 'Morning,' she said, perkier than yesterday, and yet her voice equally as flat. 'We were just making the plans for today.'

'Plans for today?' Cassidy asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 'We're making plans with him now?'

'Well... yeah, I guess,' She said.

Dan bit on his lower lip; a contemplation on whether or not he should speak, silently debating with himself. Cassidy noticed this.

'Can we trust him?' She asked.

'You can trust me,' Dan stated, now looking squarely at Cassidy with a newfound confidence. 'I think until this all blows over we should stick together. Who knows how many crazy people are out there.'

Cassidy thought this over. They had just slept in the same room as this stranger - what could spending another day with him possibly do? And yet, it seems absurd to even make a plan, to lay out how their day will be based on the likelihood they will bump into yet another crazy person. It's not like they're walking the streets, is it?

'Alright, whatever. But I have a lesson tomorrow at uni," Cassidy murmured. She stood up, conscious of the eyes analysing her movements. 'I also need to pee.'

'Be careful,' Lizzie said.

Be careful? Since when did people have to be careful going to the toilet? Cassidy's stomach churned in a frenzy of thirst and anxiety as she pulled herself up the set of stairs, holding the bannister for support. Anything could happen at this point. She had looked death straight in the face yesterday. It should come to no surprise that there is a fluctuation of crazy people suddenly roaming the town.

Could it be just a temporary epidemic? Though that wasn't any less of a terrifying prospect, Cassidy felt the word temporary bought a significant amount of reassurance.

Upon finishing her business, Cassidy strolled the stairs to find Dan and Lizzie scrambling around in the kitchen. 'What are you guys doing?' She asked, her nostrils burning from the sudden waft of bleach.

Dan, who held the cleaning product, squirted some expanding foam on the kitchen tiles. Lizzie smeared the thick-textured blue bubbles, resting her knees against the ground as she scrubbed vigorously. 'Cleaning up my sick from yesterday,' she said.

Cassidy groaned. 'Don't tell me we slept with it there.'

Dan chuckled. 'We did have the kitchen door shut, if it makes you feel any better. And I personally couldn't smell it until just now.'

'No, neither could I,' Lizzie said, pouring herself a glass of water, reminding Cassidy to do the same.

She followed suit and watched the bubbles swim in the polished glass. She began gulping, the coldness of the water numbing her throat, relieving her immediately of the grittiness that left it famished in the first place. Once she finished her glass she craved more, addicted to the feeling of the liquid drowning her insides.

'Thirsty?' Dan asked, lightly smiling.

Cassidy tilted her head back to allow the second glass of water to reach her chest, ignoring Dan, focusing only on the way it made her arms limp slightly in a much-needed form of relief. She inhaled a breath after finishing her second glass, filling up her third. She felt nauseous from drinking so fast, only it felt exhilarating to have a full stomach. 'Ok, so what were your plans?' Cassidy asked, gasping for air as she wiped her mouth on the back of her palm.