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The sun rises slowly but surely, peeking out through the small crack in the curtains. Coated in a hazy, light orange, the room echoes the outdoors rays accompanied by the soft breeze flowing through the open window. Arixa opens her eyes groggily. Despite being blinded, she welcomes the morning with open arms, grateful to be awake and alive for another day. Lifting her arms above her head, she stretches her limbs for a moment, satisfied when she hears and feels her bones popping. Re-tying her brown hair back into a small bun, she lets out a yawn and her feet touch the hardwood floor when she slips out of the covers. It takes a second for her to get used to the cold ground, being familiarised with carpet for most of her life, she’s still thankful for the recent renovation she opted for on her house. Change isn’t her favourite thing. It often gives her a feeling of stress. But today feels… Different.
Even from upstairs, she can hear the pitter-patter of her cat’s footsteps below. Another thing she isn’t used to.
Taking a few slow strides, Arixa heads downstairs. The smell of paint is subtle, but she doesn’t mind it. Decorated with various paintings, the wall presents these pieces of art majestically, adding a splash of colour to the staircase. While the hardwood continues throughout the house, it doesn’t alleviate the homely feel that the place has. Harmonious in colour, the cream shaded, tall table sits safely in the corridor, juxtaposing the deep blue wallpaper.
After tiredly making her way to the bottom of the staircase, she’s greeted by a tabby-haired, fluffy, green eyed cat, awaiting her presence in the hallway. A small smile curves Arixa’s lips, squatting down to stroke the eager and friendly animal. He lets out a soft meow, indicating the need for food and attention. Following behind her and almost attached to her ankles, the cat sits patiently in front of his food bowl, curling his tail around himself.
Arixa laughs at this, and cautiously pours some dry cat food into the bowl, refilling his water bowl and looking around the kitchen momentarily. Black and white tiles adorn the floor of the room, paired with the white walls, black cabinets and counters. The counters themselves however, are a marbled grey shade, complimenting the kitchen warmly. A lone, circular table sits in the middle, accompanied by a single chair. Living alone has its perks. She ponders for a moment before stepping towards the kettle to turn it on. Arixa fancies coffee today, she isn’t entirely sure why, but decides to tend to her cravings anyway. It isn’t something she usually drinks but she feels like making a change for the day. The sound of boiling water bubbling in the kettle is surprisingly relaxing, mimicking that of a hot spring or jacuzzi. A soft click indicates that the appliance has done its job. And Arixa swiftly pours the water into a mug filled with coffee granules and sugar. With ease and care, the coffee is stirred thoroughly, creating a whirlwind-type shape in the cup. Aromatic and strong, the smell of coffee permeates throughout the kitchen, giving the illusion that her house could pass off as a cafe. When she hops over to the refrigerator, she nabs the small carton of milk and gently adds it to her coffee. In a mix of dark to light browns, the beverage marbles and combines into itself deliciously before Arixa stirs the drink again to be sure it is ready.
Coffee in hand, Arixa heads outside to sit on the porch and enjoy her drink. It isn’t often that she gets a day off like this. She has no plans and she wants to keep it that way. Not a single cloud penetrates the bouncy blue sky, and the birds sing and tweet to each other, adding to the calmness of the morning. It has been a while since Arixa has seen such a beautiful day, but she is grateful for it. Despite the trials and tribulations she has to go through, life is still beautiful. And nature never fails to tell her that, every day she manages to step out of the house for a while. Arixa likes living alone, the quiet is comfortable and she doesn’t want it any other way. Sure, it can get a little lonely sometimes, but it’s something she’s longed for.
Growing up in a much noisier household, she finds most days that she cherishes the peace and the quiet. As if picking up on the loneliness that Arixa feels, her cat joins her on the decking and gently nudges her arm. In response, she pets him lovingly and sips her coffee. The breeze tickles her neck softly, reminding her of the unpredictable springtime temperatures.
Some time passes and Arixa eventually finishes her beverage. As she goes to wash her cup out, she notices that the kitchen tap isn’t working, but vows to fix it later. When she heads back into the house, she changes into an outfit more suitable for the outdoors and grabs her trusty bow and arrows.
Rickety wooden steps creak under her black boots as walks out into the neighbourhood. Besides the slight whistling of the wind, or the occasional flurry of trees swaying, it is quiet as usual. Over time, nature has overtaken everything around her. Weeds fight their way to the surface of the cracking concrete, vine tendrils swallowing the various other houses, cars and lampposts. Being the only occupant means only one house and one car is properly maintained, there is no use in wasting supplies on things that aren’t needed.
Walking the perimeter, Arixa has a tight grip on her bow and her fingertips are ready to nip at the ends of the arrows that rest in her side bag. Even if there haven’t been any other living beings in the last few years, she couldn’t be too sure. Anything could happen.
A small rabbit saunters beside the tall, electric fence, grabbing Arixa’s attention for a moment. Food isn’t a complete necessity right now, she has so much stored away right now that she feels she should allow the curious little animal to live on.
But, as if mocking her thoughts, a crossbow arrow penetrates its tiny skull. The helpless creature flops to the ground lifelessly, its eyes wide open as it stares into the sky, unmoving. Startled, Arixa clambers behind a fence, readying her bow and waiting for the right opportunity to stop the survivor in their tracks. Heavy footsteps tread into the dusty ground, growing louder as they approach the rabbit’s carcass. Arixa inhales deeply, stepping out from behind her cover and aiming at the unsuspecting man before her.
“Stop right there.” Arixa speaks with a firm tone, filled with distrust and annoyance.
“Woah, hey…” The man jumps, clutching his crossbow tighter, but not aiming it at her.
Looking a little worse for wear, the man’s beard is bushy and untamed, matching his dishevelled, dark locks. His eyes, although dark, are filled with worry and fear. His brow bone shades his eyes, making him appear intimidating. But his expression says otherwise. Dirt presents itself in blotches upon the man’s face, indicating he’s been on the road for a while.
“Please, I don’t mean no harm, I’m just hungry.” The man admits. His voice is low and gruff.
“There’s a perfectly good dead rabbit right there.” Arixa replies rudely. She pauses before saying anything else. “I can’t let you leave and I can’t let you live though.”
The man’s eyes widen, stricken with fear. “I’m not with a group or anything, I promise.” He stammers. Even when scared, a natural heightened pitch doesn’t seem to exist on his vocal chords.
Arixa raises an eyebrow. “Promises don’t go very far nowadays.” Her voice is null of emotion.
“B-But they can-!” He almost interrupts himself as he stumbles over his words. “I-I can be of good use to you!”
Narrowing her eyes, she lowers her fully-loaded bow ever so slightly. “Like what?”
The man’s stutters are still prominent, clearly fearing for his life. “Uh… I’m a good scavenger, I used to be a plumber back before all of this, I-I’m handy.”
Upon the word ‘plumber’ leaving his chapped lips, Arixa’s mind crosses her kitchen tap. She lets out a silent sigh of defeat and raises her bow back up.
“You try anything, and you’re done. Got it?” Arixa responds harshly and the man nods quickly. “Go around the fence till you get to the gate, but don’t touch it, it will kill you.” She explains nonchalantly.
“Yes ma’am.” He agrees, a relieved smile appears on his face
—----------
Allowing the man to shower and use some of the old clothes Arixa had in storage, anxiety flows through her. No one can be trusted, she knows that. Yet a stranger is using her shower. A small part of her isn’t cold enough to reject what appears to be an innocent soul. Still apprehensive of the man she’s let into her home, she analyses his movements as she fixes him a drink. Grateful that the kettle contained some leftover water, she boils it again and prepares two cups of coffee. Along with this, she decides to cook some breakfast, frying some eggs and preparing some French toast. The man watches in awe, surprised at the use of such appliances even many years into the end of the world. Placing the food and drink before the man, her eyes are transfixed onto him, watching the way he groans in happiness upon receiving such wonderful food. This makes Arixa realise how fortunate she is.
“God this is amazing.” The man mumbles.
Arixa doesn’t respond and instead sips her drink. The warmth from the cup eases against her cold hands. Her social awkwardness is kicking in a bit now, going so long without human interaction proved to worsen the social skills she already has. Despite this, she suddenly blurts out. “Everything tastes good when you’re starving.”
“Not like this though.” The man insists. Arixa envies the way he can upkeep eye contact, presenting himself as warm and inviting. In the back of her mind, she’s aware it could all be an act. She doesn’t even know his name yet. Do I even want to? He won’t be staying long. Even then, the man seems so innocent, he is a bright ball of light compared to the dark, unlit cave that Arixa has become over the years.
The man doesn’t speak until he finishes his food and drink, expected of someone who could have been starving on the road for many days. Arixa keeps her slow pace, eating her food well.
“There’s more food if you want some.” She offers, not looking up from her plate as she cuts into her French toast diligently.
“Oh, thank you, I’m so full though, goodness me.” The man stretches his arms, groaning as he leans back in the chair he occupies. “Thank you so much, really!”
As he does this, his broad shoulders and built torso are a little more obvious under the old clothes he has been given to wear.
“No worries.” Arixa replies, still not making eye contact. She pops a piece of French toast into her mouth, chewing and swallowing thoroughly.
Gazing at the cold woman before him, a thought crosses the man’s mind, causing him to speak up. “You know… I noticed you brought me in when I mentioned being a plumber.” He treads carefully with his words, hoping not to provoke her.
There’s a long pause. Arixa only looks up at the man once. His eyes are gleaming with appreciation and trust. Quickly, she looks down at her plate. She responds to his statement with haste, after eating the last piece of food on her plate. “The kitchen sink is acting weird, I was gonna fix it after my perimeter check.” She explains. Talking to another human again, it feels weird and her metaphorical walls are completely built up. Still, no eye contact.
The man turns his attention to the kitchen tap, pointing towards it as he stands. “I could look at it now if you want?” He raises one eyebrow subtly. “Got any tools?”
“Yeah one second.” Arixa looks up at the man, then back down at the empty cups and plates on the table. To ease the nagging thoughts in her head, she stacks the plates together and places the cups on top of them, so the table doesn’t feel so cluttered. Getting up from her chair, she opens a lower cabinet in the kitchen, pulling the small tool box out and placing it before the man slowly.
The man smiles this time. That damn smile. There’s something about it. Before another word is spoken, the stranger immediately tends to the kitchen tap and its pipes beneath the sink. Arixa watches carefully, this time, her eyes do not stray from the man before her. She finds herself analysing him again. It appears the issue isn’t too big of a deal, because after only 5 or 10 minutes of tinkering, the man mentions that it’s fixed.
“Already?” Arixa questions, reaching for the tap and turning it. Water gushes out from it as it would normally, she turns the tap off and looks at the man, puzzled.
“What would you do without me?” The man grins, a small laugh arising from his chest.
“I’d…” Her social awkwardness exudes again, unable to hit back with another form of wit and instead settling for a boring answer. “Manage.” Not wanting to dwell on her response, Arixa moves quickly to tend to the recently used plates and cups.
The man laughs regardless. When Arixa has cleaned everything, she realises the man is no longer in the kitchen. Her panic settles when she hears her cat meowing in the other room. Sighing heavily, Arixa quietly approaches the living room, peering from around the doorframe to see her cat and the man getting on pretty well. The awe in the man’s expression is fulfilling, Arixa feels her heart warm a little. She doesn’t like that the man is growing on her, but she knows letting him leave will completely compromise everything she’s built.
“What’s this little guy’s name?” The man asks, still cooing at the cat.
Hesitant, she decides to answer his question. “Echo.”
The man chuckles, “Such a cute name.” Echo seems smitten with the amount of attention he’s getting. “God, I haven’t seen a cat in years!” The excitement and giddiness is evident in his tone, even if it still remains low and gruff.
As if realising himself, the man speaks up again. “I’m Pete by the way.”
Nodding slowly, Arixa sits on the sofa and watches Pete and Echo continue to interact. “I’m Arixa.”
Satisfied, Pete glances over at Arixa, smiling again. His expression is filled with gratitude, happiness, and relief. The list could go on. If the lottery was still a thing, he looks like he’s won the grand prize. Arixa didn’t understand the overwhelming friendliness Pete has with her. She would eventually, but for now, she is distant, cold and apprehensive. One day she would open up, maybe even day by day. Arixa doesn’t know what will become of the two of them, all she has realised that day is that change is inevitable.