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Post by travis on Sept 23, 2009 15:03:12 GMT -5
A light breeze set the withered curtains billowing, fluttering like the wings of giant moths. The cool air was welcome because the room was stifling. Kolton lay on his back watching as the curtains danced softly at the bidding of the wind. A single bead of perspiration trickled from his foredhead and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. Beneath him the sheets felt damp, a legacy of the warm night, and he shifted uncomfortably, finally swinging himself upright. Perched on the edge of the bed he sat motionless, head lowered, inhaling deeply in an effort to draw some sweet fresh air from the atmosphere of musty stale sweat and rotted moldy walls.
Outside there came no sound, with the exception of the wind brushing against the few bits of plant life that surrounded the abandoned apartment building. Before any of this happened; before the virus had hit, there used to be hundreds of people - all of them talking or walking or driving cars, which caused all of the sounds to clamber together to make one big noise. Kolton actually missed it, all of it, despite the fact he used to complain every chance he could about the racket. He used to complain about everything - the food his mom made, how 'rough' his siblings were with him, how little time his dad had to spend with him considering he was always at work. Now, he would never be able to complain about any of those things again. His family was dead, killed by the virus, and he was the only one left out of them all. He was alone.
Despite the fact that it was still relatively early, the burning orb in the cloudless sky blazed with savage intensity. Kolton glanced at the clock on the dressing table, which he had snatched off a wall in a different room, and attempted to figure out what the time was. However, he was only six years old and he still had a bit of difficulty reading words, let alone the time. If his dad had still been alive...
The thought trailed off and Kolton swallowed hard, getting to his feet. He padded across the room, gathering the shirt, jeans and socks he had stripped off the previous night in an attempt to cool off. After pulling the articles of clothing back on, he turned to look at his reflection in a mirror. Well, part of a mirror, anyway. He studied his appearance, smiling thinly at what he saw. Kolton stood at about three foot two, his body fairly slim with still a bit of baby fat - mainly noticable around his face. Short, thin blond hair was in a mess on top of his head, and it would have fell over his pale blue eyes if it had been a few inches longer. He appeared neither obese or starved, he was the average size for his age. However, he had lost a bit of weight over the months, considering the lack of food he consumed.
Patting the pockets of his jeans to be sure that he still had all of his belongings, Kolton left the apartment room and silently decended the old, rotted staircase. He had only climbed one floor of the building, in fear that he might get trapped if he went any higher. Raiders could have easily trapped him if they stumbled upon him while he was asleep, and the building itself was so old that he was sure the stairs would eventually give in if he walked on them for too long.
Wandering out of the apartment building, he winced momentarily, sheilding his eyes from the glare. He soon relaxed, drawing in a deep breath which smelled like grass and smoke. The smell had a welcome familiarity about it and Kolton smiled as he headed down the street towards Harehills, in hopes of finding a few things to satisfy his appetite in the abandoned shops. He knew that he would have to keep his guard up at all times, considering the raiders wouldn't hesitate over the idea of attacking him. He never really understood why the raiders had to be so mean. They were just like him, alone and trying to survive, but he didn't go around stealing things from other people. Not that he would be able to succesfully do so, anyway. He wasn't exactly the strongest kid alive and he was definitely no match for any adult.
Gripping the metal hammer with both hands, Kolton caustiously moved towards one of the shops, ready to bolt down the street if any raiders decided to jump him. He perched himself up on his tippy toes and peered into a dusty window, quickly scanning the place before he walked inside. There were numerous shelves lined up in the shop, of course most of them were empty. However, to his delight, Kolton spotted a box of crackers once he padded to the back of the shop. Forgetting all about the danger that could be at hand, he dropped his hammer to the floor with a loud clank and grabbed the box. After tearing the top and the bag inside open, he began to stuff his dirt stained face with the crackers.
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