Chapter 7

I laugh, moving to the side so she could see. “Definitely not a dead body.”

She squeals and then laughs, happiness coating her genuine smile as we both gazed into the pantry. Their was enough dried fruit, tins, pasta, rice, coffee and loads more in there, enough food and drink to last us years if it was used properly. We had hit the jackpot! I hadn’t seen this much food in one place since before the end, before people began to panic and take everything they could carry all at once.

The pantry even held three full tubs of what was called coffeemate, a powder that acted like milk when you placed it into a hot cup of coffee. I was ecstatic, over the moon with joy. We wouldn’t have to worry about food for a while, we wouldn’t go hungry and know the pain of an empty stomach or dehydration. I was worried that I would barley have enough to sustain us both, but this, this would be more than enough.

I went through the cupboards, my heart racing as I found more tins of food, plates, pans and all the stuff we would need. It seemed strange that someone had left all this behind, that no one else had found this place. But I couldn’t be worried about that now, the owners could be dead and by the smell of the dust, it was a long time since anyone came here. Perhaps months.

Miya limped into the living room whilst I continue to look round, it had a downstairs bathroom with a large bath big enough for two. Upstairs their were three large bedrooms two with double beds and one with a single. I took as many blankets as I could and threw them down the stairs, before raiding the wardrobes for Coates, jumpers, leggings, scarfs and gloves. I was pleased that we could stay warm if we ventured out and that the new clothing had no holes and wasn’t as worn as the ones I was wearing. Miya would also have warm clothing, something she lacked at the moment.

I walked back into the living room, smiling when I noticed she had some logs in the fireplace, ready to light when needed. “Hey, I found some clothes and blankets.”

Miya looked up and smiled widely, her voice light and almost care free. “Sweet! I don’t know about you but I’m freezing, I could use the warm clothes.”

I smile back, attempting to keep the carefree vibe I was getting from her. “We’ll, theirs a massive tub upstairs that would easily fit us both, we could warm some water in the fireplace and have a nice soak.” My smile grew as I sighed happily, “I even saw soap and shampoo while up there.”

She jumped to her feet and clapped her hands, almost hiding the wince of pain from her injured ankle. “Sounds like a plan, I’ll start the fire, you get the water.”

“Yes sir!” I chuckled, saluting her as I turned on the spot and marched towards the back door before bursting into a fit of laughter.

“You are such a weirdo!” She called before falling into a laughing for of her own.

I walked the three or four yards to the well and filled all seven buckets, deciding to test my strength and concentration as I lifted all but one with my mind, slowly moving them towards the door as I walked. I could feel the beginnings of a headache, but I knew that I needed to practice, I had someone else to worry about now, I couldn’t allow myself to be weak. That was as good as a death sentence in this new world.

I stopped just before the door and lowered the buckets slowly, holding out my hand to steady them as I used my gift, once they were all on the ground, I allowed my self a moment, placing my hands on my knees and taking deep breaths. It doesn’t seem like a lot when you think about it, but concentrating so much on six different objects takes discipline and absolute focus. One wrong thought and they would all go tumbling to the ground.

I knew it was a mistake to stop practicing my abilities, but at the time I seemed as though it would be safer to keep them hidden. And yet, I’m slowly beginning to realise that I would have survived much better had I used them. My skin was buzzing and whilst my head hurt from strain, I felt more alive than I have in months, like I could take on anything that came my way.

Of course, that wasn’t entirely true, but for now, I’ll give myself that fantasy.

I placed all the buckets into the kitchen by hand, the heat from the fire in the living room warming my icy skin as I sat beside Miya, waiting for the first bucket to boil. We started at the flames in a comfortable silence, leading me to believe that despite her upbeat attitude, she had rarely spoke out in the open.

“What are you?” She whispers, her voice low and cautious. “I saw what you did just now outside and earlier with the hounds. How?”