"What are you making?"
"coffee you want some?"
"Sure."
"Stop pushing me."
Without waiting for invitation, Stella slid closer, completely disregarding Rin's personal space. Her shoulder bumped into Rin, forcing Rin to scoot over on the cramped corner. The second floor was pretty spacious but Rin always love her corner space.
Stella pulled her knees up to her chest, watching the water begin to simmer.
"This kinda remind me of our field trip"
Rin blinked, momentarily pause as she tries to remember.
"Huh? Which one?"
"When we are on camping, 4th grade." Stella chuckled, a soft and genuine smile breaking through the exhaustion on her face.
"The one where you almost burned down the entire tent"
"ohhh, bad stuff" Rin grumbled, rubbing her temples as her memory rushed back "miss Madison is really angry at that time and then she threatened to call my parent"
Stella nudged her again, teasing. "You're trying to make coffee right?"
"Nope, did you think 9 years old me drink coffee" Stella shoot a dry look, stating it as something obvious.
"So, what are you trying to do?" Stella ask curiously.
"I think I tried to make a torch, I found dried bushes then I use lighter to light it up"
"In a tent?" Now it's Stella turn to give Rin a deadpan look, as her face practically screamed a question [Are you actually an idiot?]
"Well, I'd left my lighter in backpack inside the tent, as for the rest of the stories, you can ask the rest to my 9 years old brain." A sheepish answer escape Rin's mouth.
A quiet, shared laughter rippled between them, chasing away dead night silent. For a few fleeting moments, their problem beyond this corner seems to be gone. Just two friends reminiscing about their childhood.
*Sssss
"ups, It's boiling." Rin whispered, quickly lifting the pot.
And so the night passed without any problem – Their whispered voice sounds like a lullaby drifting everyone back to their sleep, A silent night with room filled with coffee aroma and a memories to keep them grounded of reality.
The world seems to be blurry as he open his eyes. Before he could even register what happen, a sharp, pungent odor assaulted his nostrils. a disgusting, metallic stench of decay – yet in this day and age feels familiar, the smell of blood and rot.
"Woah!!!"
His body jerked in panic reflex. "Aaaarg!!!" A different scream escaped from his lung as the sudden movement reopen his wound making a guttural scream tore from his throat.
"Can you shut up for a second/!" Chloe hissed "It's only a zombie head!" She points at the zombie head that stuck on the windows with her spoon, showing that the zombies has been dealt, it's head cave in, like it's been hit by a blunt object.
"Gosh what a wimp."
"Ehem... My bad" Alex tried to play it cooled and regain his composure.
But the damage is already done. his loud scream already echoes across the street, calling all the zombie to their vicinity. The only saving grace for him is that all the zombie has been dealt so there won't be any instant threat.
"uh...I..I" Alex stuttered, his word keep failing, The cold sweat of embarrassment washed over him ,He made a dumb mistake as he failed to keep his cool, and now, he could feel four pair of eyes drilling into him, judging his pathetic display.
Panicking further, he tried to stand up to his feet, wanting to clean his mess. But his body betrayed him. A tearing sound can be heard, the crude stitches holding his side together ripped open. Alex let out choked gasp, looking at crimson blood dripping makes him flailing around searching clothes or tissue to clean it, yet it only add to the mess as crimson blood began spray across the floorboards.
Rin can only facepalm herself, watching the disaster unfold. 'Is he the same soldier that fight against that giant boar.' she thought, while averting her eyes from current trouble.
Although they manage to clear their surroundings from any zombie, that doesn't mean that this shop could be their base especially after a certain soldier just painted the floors with fresh blood. Not only it's disgusting but the scent might draw a horde of zombie to their place.
Leaving the bleeding soldier downstairs to rest after stitching him again, the four girls moves to the rooftop.
"Any plan?" Rin started their discussion, leaning against the guardrail, her eyes scanning the destroyed cities, smoke still rising and she can see white banner with help written on it. For a second Rin only closed her eyes before focusing on her own little group.
"We might need to go to hospital as we just ran out of medicine" Stella stated "and we need the right tools and medicine incase they got infection"
Gina gasped, her eyes widening in horror. "Zombie infection?"
"Bacterial infection" Stella clarified.
"Rin – Are we going to keep them around" Chloe turned around ignoring Stella and Gina.
Her patience finally snap "We already have two dead weights on our home and now we are dragging two more dead weights with us here." Her voice chilling, as she gives a reality check to Rin, asking if it's truly her decision or she just pushover.
They are not some volunteer group or some kind of humanitarian aid, they are struggling, everyone is struggling, just because they can doesn't mean they should, not only that they even compromise their own plan just to babysit of these guys.
Under Chloe fierce glare, Rin remained silent, unmoving while keeping an eye contact.
'So, Chloe finally snapped.' Rin watches Chloe before looking in Gina and Stella. Sensing the rising hostility Gina and Stella step aside. They rarely offered their opinion when making an important decision and so most of the decisions falls onto Rin shoulder.
"You are being indecisive Rin'" Chloe pointed an accusing finger at Rin, for a week she hold herself believing Rin has a plan for this kind of people, yet she never did anything.
Rin's eyes flicked over to Gina and Stella. She was waiting for any of them to make a decision, to throw away the bad apple before it spoils the bunch. That's what Rin thought but deep down she want to believe that these people can be change turn into something better, where kindness might get repaid.
'I guess I'm the childish one.' A small chuckle leaves Rin lips.
The silent is painful for Gina and Stella, while Chloe gives a bloodshot glare that can kill a person, on the other side Rin being indifferent towards the threat she receives.
"one?" Chloe ask, her brow furrowing.
"One week," Rin answered. Her casual tone was completely gone, replaced by a cold, calculating voice – a commanding authority that match Chloe fierce demeanor "In one week, if things haven't change for better then we stick to our original plan."
Rin decisive answer earned a nod Chloe. In contrast, Stella look worried, while Gina seems to be torn.
*clap!
Rin clapped her hands together, shattering the heavy mood "Well... anyways today we going to try visit the hospital, we should start moving while the sun is high above."
"aye..aye" Chloe answer lazily, shuffling her feet as she turned around preparing to leave.