Two Alive, стр. 7

But if it helped Miles go to sleep, then Antonio would play along. Just like how he never went to sleep without saying goodnight to the old man. Antonio slid the sheet back over his doorway and went to blow out his candle before climbing back on top of his mattress, pulling the covers over him as he did.

“Good night, old man.” Antonio whispered and then closed his eyes.

Miles went across the front room and past the little couch where he slept most nights. He pulled the curtain open to the next room and entered the old man’s room. There was a small bed of mostly covers, blankets on a futon, with burnt-out candles on the windowsill. Stacks of books and paper maps were piled on the nightstand where the old man put his gun metal black watch that stopped working but he still always wore. The old man’s spare boots were resting on the floor haphazardly in the middle of the room but Miles stepped over them to sit on the old man’s empty bed.

“We… we ran into some people today. But we didn’t fight them or anything. We just took their stuff after they finished fighting.” Miles spoke softly, lowering his head and rocking back and forth. “We got a map and we were gonna go see their hideout. Is that ok?”

Silence was the only response in the small empty room, still filled with all the old man’s things.

“We’ll be careful. I promise. Cross my heart.” The boy did the gesture for good measure. “Ok…ok. Goodnight Johnathan.” Miles stood up and went to the doorway and looked back at the empty bed. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry you died,” the boy whispered and closed the curtain.

***

At the break of dawn, Miles was sitting in his perch watching the sun break through the trees. Antonio always managed to stay sleep through most nights, but Miles never slept any longer than three of four hours at a time. It sometimes left him groggy in the earlier days, but now he was just used to not sleeping that much. When you weren’t sure the next time you closed your eyes they’d be the last, it made it difficult to get a good night’s sleep.

Not for Antonio though, who came strutting out of his room with a big yawn and stretch as he walked around in his boxer shorts. “Damn, I’m hungry.”

Miles looked inside and saw his brother, scratching his junk and making his way to the wooden cabinets over the not-working sink. Antonio was tall and lean, covered in ripped muscles he had built through survival. Miles still remembered a flabby Antonio when they went to school together before all of this. Miles gained some muscle definition as well but never was able to put on much weight with it. He wasn’t as comfortable as Antonio, who walked around half naked each morning, flaunting his newfound physique. Nevertheless, Miles was proud of his personal growth. The old man use to tell both of them they were doing a good job of staying in shape. It was necessary in this new world. Then he would tell Antonio to put on some damn clothes.

When Antonio went to the table and took the half can of applesauce that Miles left for him, he also took another can from the cabinet and popped it open.

“What are you doin’?” Miles called from his roost.

Antonio took a spoonful of applesauce to the face, using the same spoon as his younger brother. “Huh? What’s up?”

“You can’t have a whole can of applesauce.”

Antonio’s expression was half drowsy, half confused. “What?”

“You can’t have a whole can. I left you half. I left you half cuz you can’t have a whole can. You gotta have half.”

“The old man would eat a whole can all the time.”

“And we ate half.”

“Well, I’ma eat a whole one.” Antonio slid the half full can across the table, “You can have the rest of that one. We can both have a full can.”

“That’s not how it goes. We both get one half. One half. And a apple from the garden.”

Antonio looked at the apples on the table and picked one of them up. All of them seemed to be rotten or with worms and he laughed. “Man, these is all rotten. I ain’t eatin’ these.”

“Food is food.” Miles climbed from his nest and entered the house. “That’s what the old man would say. We don’t waste food. Eat around it.” He was holding two half eaten apples where he ate around the mold and dark spots.

Antonio sighed, “Man, then you can eat these. I‘m good.”

Miles sighed and went to the couch where his clothes and armor were piled and ready for the day. He pulled off his baggy sweatpants and his oversized t-shirt and he started to change outfits. “We have to go check out that Costco now. We have to.” He slipped on his compression shirt and leggings which he wore under his pants and turtleneck. They were sweat resistant and added an extra layer between him and some infected person who might try to bite or scratch him.

Antonio finished his applesauce and went to get dressed as well. Soon both the brothers were strapping on their boots and loading their packs with guns and ammo. Miles threw his Dragunov over his shoulder along with his backpack, which carried two pistols, two extra clips each, and a clip for his rifle. Antonio had his gold gun in his side holster, and a Glock G19 in his waistband. Two other Glocks were in his pack along with extra clips for the pistols and ammo for the new AR-15 they got from the people yesterday. He slung the weapon on his back, pulled his beanie down on his grown out knotted hair