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Eric shuddered, pulling his coat around himself tightly. The deep cold of winter had set in, mist appearing in front of his face with every breath. And he could barely feel his feet, numb as they continued to smack against the frozen ground beneath him.
But he kept walking, knowing he couldn’t turn back now. He was already around two miles from the abandoned factory he called home. At this point, giving up and going back without food and medical supplies would be a complete waste.
His breath quickened as a housing estate came into view, hand gripping the gun in his pocket. Houses brought the possibility of food, but also the terrifying prospect of danger.
Where there were people, there was a chance they could be infected, and coming into contact with those infected for just a few seconds could be fatal. Since the outbreak a year ago, ninety-five percent of the population had been decimated.
Eric wasn’t sure how he and Alan, his high school sweetheart, had managed to survive. Plain dumb-luck, probably, more than anything.
Apart from Alan, he hadn’t seen another human in weeks. And he hoped to never see one again.
He pulled out his gun as he drew near the closest house, heart rate beginning to quicken. The street seemed completely deserted, but he couldn’t be absolutely sure. His mouth twisted into a small smile as he reached the door to the first house – no signs of it already being broken into. If it were truly empty, there was a good chance the house would be full of resources.
A forceful foot connected with the door, the wood splintering and swinging open before him. He took a step inside, calling out. As expected, there was no reply. Slowly, cautiously, he crept through the home, finding no one on the ground floor. Going up the stairs, he began searching the bedrooms, until he was met with the door to the master room.
Pushing it open, he almost gagged, a putrid smell reaching his nostrils instantly. A desperate hand shot up, Eric trying to block the stench from his nose as he eyed the corpse on the bed with unease.
Once decay began, the infection couldn’t spread, but still, it wasn’t a pleasant sight.
But now, at least, he was sure the coast was clear. He could begin taking whatever he needed. Starting with the drawers, he pulled out a few jumpers, female garments, but a perfect size to keep Alan warm.
They were stuffed inside his bag-pack, along with a few pairs of thick socks. Next was the bathroom, where he found shampoo and soap. Good – they were beginning to run low on toiletries. A few rolls of toilet paper were also taken, for good measure.
The kitchen was finally entered, Eric wanting to save the best for last. Upon opening the first cupboard, he knew he’d hit the jackpot – canned food. “Ock, aye!” Soup. Just what was needed to get through the harsh winter.
He riffled through others, finding packets of biscuits and cereal bars, among other snacks. As he opened the next, he almost cried in glee, thanking every god he could think of. “Ock, thank yer.” His hand wrapped around the unopened bottle of rum, yanking it from its storage place. It was the best gift he’d received all year.
And he thanked his lucky stars again as he found the medicine cabinet, eyes locking on a can of freeze spray. He picked it out, along with a half-used roll of bandages and basic painkillers. Pulling a plastic bag from his pack, he stuffed the heavier things into his back-pack, lighter items going into the plastic bag.
He heaved it onto his back again, huffing as the straps dug into his shoulders. This was going to be a pain to lug back to his rest-place.
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Knuckles rapped harshly against metal, Eric listening closely for signs of movement. “What’s the password?” came a gentle voice.
“Vodka,” Eric replied.
With a light laugh, the clinging of metal was heard before the door slid open, a happy face greeting him. “Did it go well?” Alan asked.
“Aye, it went brilliantly. Ah – go sit down and ah’ll show yer.”
“Okay.” Leaning heavily on a make-shift crutch, Alan limped down the hallway. He’d tripped during an excursion a few days ago, badly twisting his ankle. Putting any weight on it was excruciating.
As they reached the factory floor, Alan slid down the wall close to a fire they had made from an old dumpster, hissing as his ankle shifted. Blankets were pulled around him, Alan shivering. Even with the fire, the cold seemed to be clinging.
Taking off his back-pack, Eric dropped to his knees with it, unzipping the main compartment. The rum was retrieved, brandished in front of Alan with a “here, this’ll warm yer up.”
“Eric … I shouldn’t. I can’t run if I’m drunk.”
“Yer can’t run with a twisted ankle either. If we have tae run, ah’ll carry yer.”
The brunette giggled softly, taking the bottle from him. “Okay.” He took a sip, shuddering as it hit the back of his throat. A face was pulled. “Gross ….”
“Heh, wimp.” The bottle was swiftly taken, Eric swigging down a large gulp. “Ahhh,” he breathed. Much better.
Alan smiled at him, adjusting his glasses, though Eric didn’t know why he still bothered to wear them. They’d been dropped and cracked the week after the outbreak. If he wasn’t a klutz before they broke, he certainly was after. Probably the reason for his twisted ankle.
Eyes lit up as Eric took out the freeze spray and bandages, because though he was trying not to let it show, didn’t want to worry his partner, his injury was causing quite a lot of pain.
“Here, give me yerr ankle.”
Alan did, tensing slightly as his foot made contact with Eric’s knee. Carefully, the blond pushed up the leg of his jean, scowling slightly as he laid eyes on the injury. It was so red and swollen, looked extremely painful.
The can was shaken, lid popped off before Eric sprayed the contents onto the area. Alan squeaked at the cold contact with tender skin, but stayed in place as his partner wrapped the bandage tightly around his injury.
Eric smiled at him. “Better?”
The gesture was returned. “Much better.”
“Good. Yer hungry?”
“I am.”
Trying to hide his smirk, he plunged his hand into the plastic bag. Alan’s eyes widened as something was produced, a gasp leaving him. “Eric …. Chocolate. Chocolate!” He leaned forward, fingers outstretching towards the goods. The bar was plucked from the blond’s hand. “You’re the best.”
“Aye, ah know.” Eric frowned as his partner ripped open the packet, taking a large bite with a humming sound. “Yer’re not going tae ration it out?”
“No, because then I’ll be thinking about the chocolate all day and it’ll drive me crazy.”
“Ahh, fair enough,” he chuckled.
Alan gobbled it down, loving every moment of the sweetness on his tongue. It was so yummy. Fingertips placed the empty wrapper down on the floor, the pain in his ankle long forgotten. “Hmm.”
“Feel better?”
“Much better, thank you.”
“Great.” Eric slung back another glug of rum before pulling off his shoes and removing his coat. He shifted over to their makeshift bed, two quilts laid on top of each other with bedsheets above.
Alan watched as he slipped between the quilts, slowing moving to follow. He found the snugness of the bed, cuddling up to Eric tightly, his body heat providing more heat and comfort than the sheets ever could.
Fingers found brown hair almost instantly, Eric combing through the soft locks tenderly. “Yer tired, babe?” He certainly was, the long trek in the frigid air having drained the energy from him.
“Hmm.” His eyelids were already growing heavy. “Sleepy ….” He’d barely slept the night before, the pain in his ankle keeping him up for most of the night.
A soft kiss was pressed to Alan’s temple. “Ah’ll wake yer up once dinner is ready.”
The brunet smiled into his partner’s shirt. “Thank you.”
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The following week came, Alan taking the first few tentative steps into the outside world, fresh air meeting his face for the first time in what felt like forever.
“Yer alright, Al?” Eric asked, watching the way he was still keeping the weight off of his one leg.
Alan offered him a soft smile. “I’m fine, Eric.”
“Alright.” He began to walk, at a slow pace, Alan following closely behind him.
“Are you sure it’s this way?” Alan asked after around five minutes, finding the car Eric claimed to have seen a few days ago nowhere in sight.
“Aye, it’s just round here.”
“And you’re sure it has gas?” Petrol was hard to come by now, the gas stations having been pumped dry within weeks of the epidemic. Most cars that they’d come across were already out of fuel.
“Aye, ah made sure tae check.” He waited for Alan to break level with him, wrapping a gentle arm around his shoulder. “It’ll work, ah promise.”
As they rounded a corner, Alan spotted it, a little red Nisan left abandoned. Footsteps picked up in pace, until they were rushing towards it.
As Alan peaked into the window, Eric stated, “look, the keys are on the driver’s seat.”
Alan couldn’t help but smile. After being cooped up in one place for so long, he couldn’t wait to travel to somewhere new, despite the dangers.
To his delight, to their luck, the doors were unlocked. Eric threw their few belongings onto the back seat before climbing behind the wheel, Alan taking his place on the opposite side. Keys were jammed into the ignition, the blond cheering as the car erupted into life.
Reaching over, he took Alan’s hand into his own, using his other to steer the car onto the open road. “Left or right?” He asked with a squeeze as they came upon a fork in the road.
“Hmm.” The brunet squeezed back gently. “Left.”
“Alrighty.” He put his foot down, and they were speeding away, off to their next adventure.