Day 2 5:27

I stood up pointing at the kitchen. Bennie nodded silently. I went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and checked it. Seeing a few loaves of bread and a jar of peanut butter. I carefully went to the kitchen drawers and took a bread knife. As I stuffed a piece of bread into my mouth, I laid the loaves of bread on a plate and went back to the living room where Bennie and Abigail were. Hearing me coming towards them, Bennie looked at me as I threw a jar of peanut butter to him and set up the plate at the living room table. He caught it with his hands and I pointed two fingers at him with both hands like gesturing, you're the man! he smirked. Hey, we got to celebrate these small victories, or else we will go insane.

I went back to the kitchen, took a pitcher of water from the fridge, and tried to fill it to full in the kitchen sink. No water? I went back to the fridge and took another pitcher when I noticed the fridge lights weren't on. I frowned at the implications. I haven't noticed it lately because we were so busy finding a somewhat secure place and also fleeing for our lives that I haven't noticed these clear signs. I took some kitchen knives from the kitchen drawers and went back to Bennie.

"We have a problem," I said hurriedly as I set the pitcher and knives on the table. Bennie was handing food to the awoken Abigail when he turned to me and frowned. Abigail was asleep? Damn. I can't blame her. We were fleeing for our lives for nearly 24 hours now.

"Elaborate?" Bennie questioned with a whisper. Abigail was listening in now too while eating her food with relish. Bennie was handing a pitcher of water to Abigail and drinking some of the other himself when I said: "There's no running water." I said with a whisper. Bennie frowned and paused his drinking. "What?" he answered. Even Abigail was astonished.

"My best guess? With all the ruckus and explosion last night? The mesa is FUBAR." I explained. In this newly established town, In the case of a newly built mesa with at least a two-year-old equipment and machinery that can still be considered brand new would fail, that contingencies were prepared? Probably but that would take at least a year. The mesa was the only primary source of electricity and clean water. That's why civilians weren't allowed near the facility. Contingencies were prepared in the case of critical failures but that would've taken a considerable amount of time to be viable. A year at least. Man-made wells and imported resources were available but the facility provided more than enough for the town's basic needs. It was a bit unnecessary at the time.

"No electricity too. Probably the whole border town doesn't have power right now." I added. "Generators?" Bennie asked. "Probably. but with danger accompanying the noise? That would be ill-advised for anybody." I rebutted. Not to mention.

" I heard the gas station blew up too. Including the tankers parked near a big gas station at the center of town." Abigail explained. Right. Generators need fuel to continuously operate. With the only gas station blown up yesterday, it means fuel is gonna be a problem. That was the only gas station in the border town but it's quite big with 25 pumps operating nonstop to provide the necessary fuel for thousands of transport vehicles. That also includes charging stations for electric cars. With the local government providing cheap transport, most working classes prefer the buses than to drive their car to their workplace.

" I think making a large gas station for the sake of traffic efficiency backfired," Abigail added.

" This just doesn't make any sense or there is just more to this. I just don't know what." I grumbled. "First the explosion, then the communications blackout, then the chaos which led to people rushing the mesa. Then there's the explosion at the facility. Then this pandemic or whatever it is" I added. "This is too much to be a coincidence or accident. Someone or a group of individuals did this. We just don't know anything."

Bennie stood up done with his meal if you can call it that and said. "Easy there Richie. Sure we don't know anything right now. We don't have to. This isn't some movie where we are the protagonists of a story where we solve the mystery behind this apocalypse." Bennie explained. "We need to survive this first. Get the hell out of dodge and figure it out from there. We can worry all we want about the cause of this later." Bennie whispered.

You just got to hand it to Bennie. He always keeps both of us grounded. Making sure we don't lose sight of the clear goal at the moment. But he's right whatever is happening, whatever is the cause of this, whether it's a man-made disaster or just strings of coincidences. It doesn't matter. We need to find a way to survive first.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Alright. Back to business. Abigail, take the first room to the right of the 2nd floor and sleep. You clearly are tired from all the running. We have to rest tonight and try to find transport tomorrow. Don't open the door in the farthest room. " Bennie ordered.

"Why?" Abigail asked. "Abigail, I will be frank with you. I don't trust you. Not yet at least. Only a fool will trust somebody the first time they meet them. But Richie saved you and we are responsible for your life now. We are doing this not for a sense of justice but because it's the right thing to do and increases our odds of survival." Bennie said emphatically.

I sat there finishing my loaf of bread while listening to Bennie. It's not that he is cold but he is just setting the order of things for Abigail, making sure that she can't and will not dictate or influence our decision to survive. It's either she follows Bennie's and mine's orders or not at all. If she doesn't like it. She is free to leave. Arguments over our decisions could lead to dangerous situations especially when her decision could result in endangering not only her but also our lives.

"You're a smart girl and you know why we don't want any cracks on who to follow right now. But for safety's sake. The reason why I don't want you to open it is because the owners of this house were there and it's not pretty." Bennie exclaimed. "But.." Abigail interjected but Bennie said calmly, "It's okay they won't be getting up now or ever for that matter. I've covered their bodies with a blanket but I suggest to still not disturb the room."

"Take this knife and hide it under the pillow. Remember. We will hold your hand and muff up your mouth if either Richie or I wake you up. Just to make sure you don't panic and scream and bring the whole town on top of us." Bennie told Abigail while handing out the kitchen knife I took from the drawers. " In case of emergency wake us up the same way. That way we won't stab you accidentally." Bennie added.

Abigail took the knife, letting go of the wand setting it up neatly on the table, and said. "Thank you again for not abandoning me," Abigail replied. "You probably want to take double 2's just in case we don't get a chance," I added. "Double 2's?" Abigail gazed down at me questioningly. "Take a shit or pee." I bellowed. "Oh right," Abigail replied hurriedly while going to the toilet and clutching the knife close to her chest. That's scary.

"So what's with this stick anyway?" Bennie asked. "Lucky charm I guess? Abby wants to be a witch or something." I laughed. "So what's inside the room?" I asked seriously. Bennie crossed his arms and answered. " By the looks of it. The mother ate her baby. I saw a bite on the arm of the woman. I guess this pandemic is transmitted through bodily fluids. More like a contaminant to bloodstream transmission. Maybe that's why you're still okay after that creature's gunk was all over you." Bennie uncrossed his arms and sat down again. "Let's just avoid any contaminants that might compromise our bloodstreams like getting cuts and then getting the unclean's gunk on said wounds." Bennie explained.

"Where was I? Right." he continued. "The father probably saw his wife eating the poor bastard and picked up the nearby chair and beat the hell out of his own wife. Bashed the skull and mangled the body. Good for him I guess. judging by the bloody foot print on the 2nd floor and right over there." Bennie pointed at the faded not so bloodied foot print near the front door. "It's either he went out to get some help or went crazy after that." Bennie sighed.

" I can imagine it. The wife was bitten somewhere. Judging by the contents of the fridge. Probably after grocery shopping with her child. Probably at the bus stop. The assailant could've been apprehended. While she thinking it was just a simple bite went home and treated herself. Based on the mess kit in the toilet I saw earlier. While preparing for dinner maybe she started turning. Lured by the sound of her baby crying ... you know the rest." I pictured it in my mind. How this situation came to be. " The husband." I continued " After a hard days work got home at the meal." I added.

" Confused why the house was eerily quiet decided to check upstairs." Bennie concluded. "Hence the mess you saw." I also concluded.

"Did the baby.." I looked at him. " A pencil. I just had to do it. I can't leave it alone like that. At least... at least I got to do is put it out of its misery," Bennie said between small sobs.

I just sat there looking at the ceiling. Imagining how the baby was screaming while its own mother ate it alive until it was dead and turned. It's fucked up.

I just said to Bennie. " You did the right thing."

The unclean... What a fitting name.