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I examine the roof from the inside, ensuring nothing can see us if it flies overhead. We don’t want birds of prey circling us as they sniff out our blood. I see mostly solid panels, except one is split in two over what I assume used to be the dining room.
I look around for Dana and don’t see her. My heart begins to race, and I check all the rooms, looking for her. The last one I get to is the bedroom, and I find her by the old bed holding a picture in her hands. I quietly sigh of relief, and she turns to look at me, holding the picture out.
I take it and examine it as she sighs.
“Looks like they had kids,” she comments sadly.
She’s right. There is a family in the picture, two human parents and two human children smiling by the river. I hand the picture back to her and shrug. “Maybe they moved.”
I neglect to tell her that it looks like whoever lived here left suddenly. I noticed her panicked face when we were by the river, and don’t want to say anything to her that might make her more nervous. One of the primary keys to survival is conserving energy, and anxiety always burns through it quicker than other emotions.
Walking back to the kitchen, I look for anything else to help us survive the night. I find more firewood in the living room under a tarp. It’s dry and perfect for lighting. Along with that, the kitchen has a few pots and pans that are still intact.
Curious, I turn on the faucet and am surprised that there is still running water. Not knowing how much could be left, I turn it off quickly and feel my muscles relax. This is the best-case scenario for our situation.
“Well,” I hear Dara say from the living room. “It’s better than nothing.”
“Regardless of its lack of luxuries, we need to stay here tonight,” I respond firmly from the kitchen. “It’s unsafe for us to be out there right now.”
I walk to the living room and notice her sitting on the run-down couch, holding onto her leg. I squint to see if it’s still bleeding, but it’s too dark to tell now. The sun has set, and we need light.
I go to the fireplace and look for a fire starter. It seems like my luck has turned around because I find a basket of a few on the bricks lining the fireplace. I grab one of them, light a nearby candle and carry it toward Dana, looking at her wound skeptically.
It’s not bleeding anymore, which is good. I wonder if there is any alcohol here we can clean it with so it doesn’t get infected. I could use some for mine, too, but I’ll apply that when she’s not looking. Again, I don’t want to make her more nervous.
I walk to the bathroom and look in the medicine cabinets for anything we can put on our wounds that might prevent infection. I turn around and see Dana standing next to me, and I almost drop the candle out of shock.
“What are you doing?” I ask in an irritated tone. I’m not irritated with her, but she could warn me before abruptly approaching me like that in the dark.
“Well, you’re the one with the light.” She pushes past me gently and rummages through the cabinets. “Can you shine the light higher?”
I grimace and roll my eyes as I hold the candle higher, allowing her to see the top shelf of the medicine cabinet. She grabs a roll of bandages, tape, and rubbing alcohol which I was hoping to find.
“This’ll do,” she remarks as she leaves the bathroom.
I watch her walk away and, for a moment, admire her body. She might be skinny, but her figure is beautiful. She has curves, and they sway slightly when she walks. I catch myself looking at her butt as it moves side to side before shaking my head and closing my eyes.
I’ve never been one to objectify women. Even when I first began liking Flora, I never tried anything physical with her until she gave me the ‘okay.’ I tell myself I won’t notice Dana like that again as I walk into the living room and set the candle down on a nearby table.
I pick up more of the candles around the house and light them from the flame of each other before moving to the fireplace with one. I hear Dana groan quietly behind me and turn around to see her dressing her wound. It seems she has enough medical knowledge to care for herself, which makes me more comfortable.
“I’ll look for more medicine tomorrow,” she says as I turn back to the fire. “We should also wrap you up while we have some of this bandage material.”
“I’m fine,” I respond as I light some kindling and place it underneath the wood in the fireplace.
She sighs. “Well, can you at least let me look at it?”
“I said I’m fine,” I respond, trying not to sound too cold.
I don’t want her to worry about me. I’ve been a warrior for years. This scratch on my leg is minor compared to our circumstances. I appreciate that she’s trying to be caring and look out for me, but that shouldn’t be her job. I’m the one that’s supposed to protect her.
“Well…” she groans and kneels beside me at the fireplace. “At least let me help with the fire somehow.”
I roll my eyes and hide a smile. She is sweet, I’ll admit. I lift my chin in the direction of the firewood underneath the tarp.
“Can you grab some of those from over there and bring them to me?” I ask as she nods in response.
I don’t need the wood right now, but it might help her to feel like she’s doing something. Maybe she’s like me because she needs something to do when her mind begins spinning. I wonder about that as the fire starts to catch on the logs in the fireplace, and it crackles before me. I smile and stand up, feeling accomplished and relieved now that we have the essentials going for the night.
