She pressed her fingers to her temple and rubbed there. She had a permanent headache. The last of their water was gone now and they had no food that wasn’t out of date. They needed to head out and find supplies whether she liked it or not. But she wasn’t ready to tell Peaches that. She was unhinged enough as it was. She didn’t want to say anything that might scare her.
“Let’s just try and see what we have for today,” Aby said. “We’re going to have to gather up everything we can and make the best of it. You must have some dried food that hasn’t gone off, right? And maybe some spare water...that’s the most important thing. Then we’ll need to find some way of defending ourselves. There must be some decent knives in the kitchen, but what we really need is a gun. That will put us on a level playing field with everyone else.”
“There are people out there with guns?” Peaches asked innocently. Aby’s stomach dropped. It didn’t occur to her just how sheltered Peaches had become in her house. She hadn’t seen half of the horrors that Aby had since the EMP hit. Telling her that there was something to worry about was a monumental mistake. Aby forced a smile.
“Well, this is America. People have guns, right? Not everyone, of course. I’m just concerned that if it comes to a fight that we’re going to be outnumbered and outgunned. It’s just a precaution. The more we have supplies wise...well, the more likely it is we’re going to survive.”
“I guess you’re talking sense, girl,” Peaches said with a sniff. “Well, I don’t have any weapons...I’m a pacifist, you see...but I wouldn’t be opposed to you having one to keep us safe. As for food and water...we might have some spare in the basement. If we can manage with that for a few days then we can go from there.”
“Perfect,” Aby said. She felt more relaxed than she had since she’d woken up with her splitting headache. She told herself that the roof over her head and the company of Peaches was enough to keep her going until she could find Jake and Megan. She wished more than anything that they’d find her, but until she was back with them, she had to be a leader. She had to be the strong one for Peaches and for herself. If she slipped up, they’d both wind up dead.
The day passed sluggishly as the two of them searched the house from top to bottom for useful items. They found a little more food that was actually edible, and a half drunk bottle of water hidden at the back of the thawed out fridge. They gathered every sharp item in the house and laid it out on the kitchen table before they ate a meal of plain rice that Aby cooked on a fire she made outside. It made Aby feel a little safer with all those knives next to her as she wolfed down the meagre meal. She hoped they’d be able to find something a little less bland on their trip outside the house.
“What’s next?” Peaches asked as she stuffed rice into her mouth. After days of not eating, she appeared to have got her appetite back.
Aby bit her lip. Peaches seemed a lot more stable now that she had food in her system. Was it time to tell her that they’d have to leave the safety of the house for a while? She swallowed anxiously.
“I think we need to head out and find supplies. We’re not going to last long on what we have...so we have to risk whatever’s out there in order to find the things we need to survive. If you can guide us to the nearest house...we can hopefully find it empty and ransack it of supplies. Then we can bury the supplies near your house so that if we’re raided, no one will find what we have.”
Peaches nodded slowly. “Okay...that sounds like a half decent plan. Well done, Aby. You’re doing a grand job.”
Aby sighed. She knew she was only doing such a good job because of Jake. She was doing exactly what he would’ve done if he was there. He was like the voice in the back of her head, leading the way even when he was miles away. Aby felt a pang in her heart. She missed him, but she couldn’t allow that to distract her. Her feelings had to come second to her common sense and her ability to make good decisions. She was the one thing keeping them both alive.
“Thank me once we’ve made it back here safely. I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but we have to try,” Aby told Peaches. “How long do you think it will take to hike to the nearest house?”
Peaches shrugged. “I don’t know...but I’m not as quick as I used to be. I’m going to slow us down. Don’t you think it would be better if you went alone?”
Aby had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from getting angry at Peaches. She could already see Peaches trying to brush off any responsibility. She was quite happy for Aby to risk her life for her so that she could eat, but she didn’t want to risk herself. Aby knew how scary the outside world could be, but she wasn’t about to dump all of that responsibility on Peaches. She took a deep breath, knowing she couldn’t allow her anger to overtake her.
“I can’t go alone. I need you to guide the way or I’ll get lost.”
“I could draw you a map…”
“It’ll take twice as long if I lose my way. If I’m gone too long, who knows what
