Lunch

While Jordan lay on the ground, basking in the sun, Soren sat down. He leaned against the shed and pulled out his pack of cigarettes, taking out one and his lighter.

~I finally got out and now you're going to pollute the air? When did you start smoking?~

Soren lit his cigarette and took a long drag, closing his eyes as he slowly released the smoke. He put the lighter back in the pack and put it away, then opened his eyes to look down at Jordan.

~A couple of years after I got out. Ran with a gang for a bit, caught a few bad habits.~

Soren raised his right knee up and used it to rest his arm. He was lost in thought, thinking back on all the things he had done. To think that I would find myself back here.

~How was he after I left?~

~Lost. At least for a while. His excuse for everything he had done was gone without a trace. There was no one to blame. I thought for the longest time that he would turn on me, but he never did.~

~Bastard never was predictable. I figured he would have lost his shit after I left.~

~Maybe he did.~

Jordan sat up, his face losing all traces of the happiness he had displayed a moment ago.

~Maybe he lost his shit, but quietly, and planned out the explosion. Maybe he decided it was time to end everything.~

Soren ground the remainder of his cigarette in the dirt until it was no longer glowing. He watched the smoke from the smoldering cigarette for a long time, as if it held the answers he needed.

~You're probably right. I'm still afraid of him, Jordan. I thought that after all these years I could stand up to him, but just thinking about it makes me was to run away again.~

~We're not kids anymore, Soren. You're stronger, I'm stronger. Hell, you'll have strong companions once they fully accept what they are. We can build a small army and become stronger.

~One day we will have to face him. There is no way he will allow himself to die before he sees you again. When that day comes you will be strong enough to fight him and win.~

Jordan stood and offered his hand, a smile returning to his face, showing off his pointed and grey colored teeth. Soren stared at the offered hand for a moment before accepting it and standing.

~Anyone ever tell you that you look creepy when you smile?~

Jordan took back his hand and punched Soren's arm. The punch was hard enough to drop Soren on his ass. Instead of getting mad, Soren laughed out loud and stood back up.

~That fucking hurt.~

~Good.~

Jordan pulled the shed door open and stepped inside. It looked like an ordinary shed with yard tools on the right side and a riding lawn mower on the left. The shed was oddly clean and organized, none of the tools looked like they had been used.

Soren closed the door behind him and walked over to the riding lawn mower. He opened up the hood to reveal a keypad and proceeded to punch in a sequence of numbers. When the last number was entered the floor hummed and the better part of the shed floor slid away to reveal stairs.

~For being a paranoid bastard he used the same code for everything.~

Jordan made a sound that closely resembled a snort and nodded his head in agreement. They headed down the stairs. The stairs here were shorter than the ones that lead to the house's lower level.

The stairs led to a large room filled with metal shelves. These shelves were half full of food, mostly canned goods and baking supplies. There were two rows of shelves on either side of the room that created a path. At the end of the path was what could be considered a freezer door. To the right side, just before the door, was an eight foot metal table. On the wall behind it hung a variety of knives and saws. There was one shelf that held a couple of sharpening stones.

The two did not spare the table a glance as they headed straight for the door in front of them. A rush of cold air hit them when the door opened. Inside was more shelves, these held a variety of frozen foods; vegetables, sausage links, and hamburger just to name a few. This was not their goal.

Further into the freezer, set at the far back, were two shelves with white freezer paper wrapped items filling most of the shelves. This was their goal. They stood in front of the shelves for a long while before Soren reached out and grabbed two medium sized packages.

~This should be enough. Wanna do the honors?~

Jordan looked at the packages that Soren was holding and licked his lips. His eyes flashed from dark red to a bright red and back again.

~I think I can handle it. It'll at least taste better than if you did it.~

Soren rolled his eyes and gave the packages to Jordan.

~I've improved.~

After locking everything back up they returned to the house. The first place they went was the kitchen where Jordan placed both packages in a bowl of hot water. Soren leaned against the kitchen counter and watched his friend gather seasonings and prep for the meal he was about to make.

~Father told me once that he kept six months' worth of food stored in the cooler. I'm going to assume that that was for the three of us. I don't think we ate any less than what we do now. With a fourth person, it'll probably only last four months.

~Food needs to be a priority. Once we start adding more people we will quickly run short.~

~Food, housing, weapons. Do you have a plan?~

Soren chuckled and shook his head, ~When have I not had a plan?~

~I have his credit card.~

Soren raised his eyebrow and Jordan smiled.

~Remember, he used to allow me to order us stuff online. After you left he left me in charge of ordering all his medical supplies. It was just easier to give me a card than to go back and forth with it. We just need to double-check that there is money on it.~

Soren laughed and pushed away from the counter. He moved to open a cabinet and took out four plates, then grabbed four forks out of a drawer, and set them on the counter near Jordan. Jordan had slowly thawed out the two packages and placed the contents into a microwave container.

~I'll go check in on the others and bring them down.~

Soren went upstairs to find Fry and Ethan. He found Ethan in the room on the far right, and closest to the stairs. Ethan was looking through the drawers of the dresser by the bed when Soren walked in.

"Hey."

Ethan jumped back, hand over his heart.

"Fuck, boss you about gave me a heart attack. I didn't hear you at all."

"It's lunchtime, you hungry?"

"Very."

Soren smiled, "Good, food is almost done. We're eating in the dining room. You can change up whatever you want in here. Once you've claimed it it's all yours."

"Thanks, boss. There is so much room here, I'm not sure what to do with it. I'm almost tempted to sleep in the closet. That shit's about as big as my cell."

"Whatever. Downstairs in five."

He walked out and moved down the hall. He found Fry two rooms away, next to the bathroom. She was laying on the bed just staring up at the ceiling.

"What's up?"

She sat up and looked at him, her lips pursed and the dark circles on her eyes looked even darker.

"You know, I knew you'd been through shit. I never thought it was that bad, though, that video…"

Soren held up his hand and stopped her.

"Whatever my childhood was, it's in the past and something I'd rather not discuss. I know that it'll all eventually come out, just not right now. I came to let you know that lunch will be ready in five. We will be eating in the dining room."

"Going fancy, are we?"

Soren shook his head and walked off.

"Dining room in five minutes kids."