CH 23: He Answered Reluctantly

[A couple of days later--- 17 October 2021, Sunday]

[4th floor of the facility…]

[6.03 am]

[Clara]

“Uh… I’m barely awake. Why in the world do I need to wake up this early?” Adam groaned as he stretched and yawned.

“Well, there are other things I’d like to do later in the day plus…,” Clara cast a warning glance at her brother who was about to roll his eyes, “There’s no better time in the day to farm than early in the morning.”

“But why the sudden need to tend to the garden at such an ungodly hour when there’s nothing ready to be harvested?”

“That’s what I thought too until last night~ The radishes should be ready to be harvested either by today or tomorrow!”

“What? How is that possible? I remember it taking quite some time to grow back at our house. I think it was about 2 months…? You basically started growing stuff here on the 28th of September and it has been about,” Adam started counting with his fingers, “19 days.”

“Hehe~ I know right? By the way, it takes about a month for radishes to fully grow. But, whatever the case, I’m so excited that my babies are growing so well~”

Adam just rolled his eyes. 

For as long as he could remember, Clara has always been annoyingly animated when it was something related to scriptwriting or gardening.

“So, are we going down to see whether the radishes are ready to be harvested?” Adam asked as they walked towards the staircase.

“Oh! No, not really… At least, just right now. Actually, I need to grab some cages and maybe poison from the basement.”

“What? For what?”

“For the pests like rats, of course.”

“Huh? Aren’t we already indoors? No bugs should be able to enter when all windows have been fully secured. The vents have layers of iron netting as well,” Adam looked around to ensure that they were the only ones in the area before whispering, “We’re in an asylum after all. There shouldn’t be any breach…”

“There shouldn’t…? Brother, we managed to break into the facility- and we’re humans who don’t have sharp teeth. The wooden door was rotten; especially at its hinges. What we’ve successfully achieved with our bare hands, can be easily done by rats. Rats are known to be able to chew through metals like iron. So, how can you be sure that there won’t be any infestation?”

“Hah… I guess you do have a point. But why worry now? Shouldn’t you have worried about it right at the start?”

“Hm… To be honest, I didn’t have much hope for the plants. It’s the first time I've ever tried growing potatoes, sweet potatoes, chili, radishes, and other vegetables indoors. You’ve seen me struggle growing vegetables in our front yard back at home… Besides, I thought that we won’t be staying for long… So, I didn’t really place much importance on it either…”

“Okay, but what changed?” Adam urged.

Clara bit on her bottom lip as she hesitated.

“Clara…”

“Well, I saw that the radishes were growing so well…”

“Uh huh?” Adam continued to watch Clara’s expression. Judging from her reaction, he knew that there must be another reason that is causing her to hesitate.

“Well…” Clara hesitated before continuing, “I’ve been hearing squeaks and soft tappings… You know… Like rats scurrying around the place…”

“Soft tappings?”

“I guess…? I don’t know how to describe the sound… It’s soft but in the dead of night, it’s loud enough to be heard.”

“Hm… I guess that being prepared for an infestation wouldn’t hurt. On the same note, I should start paying close attention to the little sounds that go on at night.”

The siblings descended the rest of the stairs in silence. Upon reaching the fire escape door that led to the basement, they began to hear voices. Panicked, Clara tugged at Adam’s sleeve when he reached for the door.

“Brother, don’t-”

“Don’t worry. It’s okay. From the sound of it, it could be Louis and Jared as they’re the only other guys that roam about within this facility.”

“But what if-”

“If it’s someone, I’ll protect you.”

Adam turned back to face the door and reached out for the door again when it abruptly opened.

The siblings jumped in surprise.

“Haha. I knew I heard voices!”

It was none other than Jared and Louis.

“W-What are you guys doing here so early in the morning?” Clara asked.

“I could ask you two the same question,” Louis chuckled.

Jared just huffed a sigh at Louis’ remark.

“We were just getting some tools for an experiment. We’re trying to see what triggers a zombie,” Jared answered and Louis sighed.

“You didn’t have to say it as if it’s a kind of entertainment, you know.”

“Huh? What did I say?”

“Hah… Nevermind…” Louis sighed again, “Anyway, what are you two up to so early in the day?”

“Oh. We’re here to get some traps and maybe poison. It’s just to safeguard the garden,” Clara replied.

“Yeah, we just want to make sure that there aren’t any rat infestations in the makeshift garden area.”

“Hm… You’ve seen rats?” Louis asked.

“No, but I’ve been hearing them off and on at night…”

“Ah, I see… Okay then. We just saw some rat traps. Would you like us to show you?” Jared asked.

“Sure, thanks. That would be great~” Clara smiled.

“Oh yeah. Maybe we should grab some cereal as well. We’ve almost finished the box we have upstairs,” Clara said upon seeing the crates of food that were stacked against a wall.

“Cereal? I believe I saw you guys grabbing a box just the other day. What, are you guys just eating cereal?” Louis asked as he eyed them skeptically.

“...that and plain rice,” Adam replied in an almost muted tone.

“No side dishes at all?”

“Just sauce, if anything. But that will all change after I’ve harvested the radishes. They’re almost ready!”

“I see… But why have you been depriving yourselves of nutrients?” 

Jared nudged at Louis’ side and furrowed his eyebrows.

“To be frank, we aren’t used to eating canned food. It tastes weird,” Adam answered.

“Oh my… Poor Sammy~ Even Jared dislikes the canned food she prepares. Ah, what a waste~” Louis teased in an overly dramatic manner which caused Clara to giggle and Jared to grimace.

“Lou, you don’t even eat the food Sam offers,” Jared growled.

“Ah, you’ve caught me. Guilty as charged~”

Jared just rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, I’m sure that Sam is well aware of how bad-tasting the food is. She has stopped preparing food for all of us for quite some time now,” Louis said as he shrugged.

“Then what have you guys been eating?” Clara asked.

“Oats…” Jared mumbled.

Clara cringed before giggling.

“You guys are so old! Wait… How old are you two?”

“I’m… 20…” Jared answered reluctantly.

“Uh huh… What about you, Louis?”

“Hm~ How old do I look?” Louis teased.

“Well, I’m guessing that you’re 20 as well?” Clara said thoughtfully.

“Haha. I guess you’re right~ How old are you siblings then?”

“Ugh… I’m 23 and Clara’s 17,” Adam frowned slightly.

“Oops~ Looks like we aren’t the old ones. Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with eating oats. We’re in dire times,” Louis reasoned.

“Yeah, in another sense as well. There’s actually no option of eating canned food or rather, not for long. There are only a few cans left,” Jared pointed out and Clara gasped.

“Don’t tell me that Samantha has been finishing all of that bland gruel…” Clara shuddered.

“That and perhaps the remaining patients in the facility,” Louis remarked.

“Ah… Yeah, that makes sense…” Clara said awkwardly.

As if spotting something, Adam walked ahead of the group, towards a corner, “Huh…”

“What is it, brother?”

“I’ve found the traps but,” Adam rummaged a little more before continuing, “Yeah… Hm… I can’t find any rat poison.”

“That’s okay. I guess that the management thought that it wouldn’t be safe to have poison within the facility. What about insecticide?”

“Hm… None of that either.”

“How strange,” Louis remarked.

*

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[Up in the trees, within the forest…]

“Mike, we’re getting dangerously close to the zombies,” a bald man asked as he continued to survey the area.

“Hush, David. It has been days since Boyan went to scout the area. Something must have happened… Anyway, no man left behind, remember?” another man reminded.

“How are you so sure that he wasn’t attacked by the zombies?” David asked.

“...because he’s the swiftest amongst us,” the one called Mike replied solemnly, “Rest tonight. His tracks seem to point towards the East. I believe there’s an old asylum in that direction. Perhaps he’s holed up in there.

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[Author’s remark:]

Based on what you’ve read so far (specifically chapters 4, 5 and 23) Jared may and may not be 20 years old. What do you guys think?

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