The World's a Mess

Tonight, we sleep with a candle flickering by our faces. The power finally went out yesterday, a day we've been hoping wouldn't come since this all started. Five weeks ago, a deadly strain of smallpox hit California hard. It spread like wildfire, first the riots, then the looting. People were ordered to stay indoors, but that wouldn't keep them safe. The sick came in through the windows, through the doors, they're out of their mind. A few days into the third week, the military left and Marshal Law ended. There was nothing they could do. Everyday, at a certain time, there's airdrops. I don't know what's in them, but it has to be something important. The state is closed from the outside world but last time I heard a radio broadcast, the virus spread to more than just here. I occasionally look outside of our 7th floor hotel room, I see nothing but emptiness. Everything is gone. I don't even see the sick anymore.

Tonight, Ben holds me close. He can see the fear in my face, he can sense it with one touch. We weren't scared in the beginning, but now we are. We make sure to stick together, just in case the sick get in, we can all be together to fight them off. Jas is beautiful, even when she sleeps. Her dark skin glows and her hair manages to stay perfect. Sophia is the same way, perfect.
When morning comes, we share one can of beans. That's what we do, one can of for every meal. Food is getting scarce and we're getting desperate.

"What are we gonna do?" Ben asks. He's still well groomed and handsome.

"We're gonna go find some food" I say. I'm not looking so great anymore, my hair is a mess, my body is getting thinner, I look sickly.

"Where?" Sophia asks.

"Down in the kitchen"

"There might be sick" She says, looking down at the floor.

"We'll stop at the nurses station and grab a few masks. Look, we need food. We'll die if we don't eat"

"Kyle's right" Jas gets up from the table and grabs a few knives from the kitchen counter. "For now, we'll tie the pillow cases around our face. It's only spread through body fluids"

She hands us each a knife and we tie the once white pillow cases around our face, leaving only our eyes exposed. We look like a group of bandits. We haven't set food outside of this room since the outbreak, none of us know what to expect. I open the door slightly, just enough for me to poke my head out and look around. It's clear, but the hallway is infested with abandoned suitcases and small carts that carry bedding materials. The plants that sit on stands near the room doors are wilting, the musty smell is almost too much and the carpet is starting to fray. I ease my way out the door and the others follow. Ben grabs my hand and looks at me, I can't tell if he's smiling, I can only see his eyes. I hear noise coming from a room a few doors down. I let go of his hand and slowly put my ear up to the door. I hear a woman, she's talking to herself, she sounds confused and scared and then silence. I jump back, slamming my body against the wall behind me, then the door opens. She stands there, her head convulsing, he skin cracked and broken, foam pours out of her mouth and her eyes bleed. She starts talking to herself again and then she launches at me.
I'm floating above my body, watching myself get attacked by her. And then I'm sucked back in, Ben stabbed his knife into the back of her head. He cleans the blood off of his weapon with her shirt.

"Fuck" He says, breathing hard. "Are you okay, Kyle. Did any blood get-"

"I'm fine" I say sternly. I know he's just trying to help, he's always been the protective one.

"Screw the chitchat" Sophia says, pointing behind her. "There's more"

And she's right, a whole group of crazed, confused, sick people round the corner. They see us and we see them. That's when my instincts kick in. We all start running and head for the doors that lead to the stairs. My body is being pushed to the limit, I feel like I'm about to vomit, my head pounds with each step I take. Ben pushes open the stairwell door and lifts up the bolt attached to the top, it slides into a small hole and locks.

"Everyone okay?" He asks. We all shake our heads. "Alright, down the hatch"

Our footsteps are quiet, we don't even talk, we're too afraid of what might happen if we do. We finally reach the bottom floor, we'll have to cut through the lobby to get to the kitchen, but first we need the masks. Ben goes out first and signals that the coast is clear. The lobby is empty and looks like it does when we first arrived but all the doors and windows are boarded up, so we're trapped but also safe from the sick that are outside. The nurses station is just on the other side of the lobby, it's clear so far. I open the door that leads into the infirmary. It looks like no one even bothered stealing from this place, so we take whatever we can. I untie the pillowcase and slide on the mask. That leaves one more objective, raiding the kitchen. Ben and Sophia gather up food while Jas and I keep watch.

"What do you think is out there" She asks.

"More sick" I reply. "Jas, I'm getting one of those airdrops tomorrow"

"That's too risky. We don't even know what's going on out there"

"I've been watching the helicopter for days. It's been landing at the pier. Those airdrops could have food or weapons or even medical supplies"

"How do you plan to get there?" She asks.

"There's small buses in the parking garage. I'm gonna use one of those"

"Then I'm coming with you. I can't let you be an idiot by yourself"

Sophia and Ben walk out of the kitchen, their bags fool. "Anything good?" I ask.

"Lots of beans, peas, corn. Ya know, canned shit" Ben says, smiling. "It's still a great find"

That night, we go up to the 8th floor and stay in a different room. We dine on more than one can this time, we can afford it. I inform Ben and Sophia about the plan, they all think I'm crazy, and I might be. But we need this, we need to check out the airdrops. I fall asleep in Ben's arms again, for the third night in a row. He's warm and inviting, his blue eyes always draw me in. I wonder what he thinks about me now, I look like roadkill.
I'm standing outside of that girl's room, listening to her scream about something and then she appears in front of me, spitting her blood in my face, laughing as I convulse on the floor. Then I awake in a pool of sweat and Ben guides me back to sleep.

"Sh" He whispers. "It's just a dream" He kisses my sweaty forehead and I drift back to sleep.