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The growing dimness has been but a cause for concern rubbing into Nelson's thoughts. Night was to come and with the electricity's long absence, it wouldn't give him any conveniences to perpetuate the cause of his self-appointed task. His flashlight had gone dead three days prior, and navigating through the dark alleys of a long-forsaken city has never been so reliant on a lighter and a cigarette. Navigating during night wasn't impossible though, but given how barren the world currently was and how dreadful the unknown tend to be, one ought to have their instincts be driven by the desperate need of knowing what's behind and ahead. Three days short of food with his canteen nearly out of drinkable water, Nelson had been necessitating himself to bring his journey to a temporary halt. He had thought about it, but with his sustained initiative, stopping won't apparently bring him the needed resources to survive.
Eventually he did take a stop, but only because he was prompted by a noticeable bang from an old, run-down building nearby. Gazing curiously, he stepped inside without hesitation. It was unsurprisingly dark as he ventured, though nothing that his lighter could brighten up as he pulled a cigarette out from his pocket and have it lit up. The ignited flame revealed an ominous corridor, its decaying walls putrefied by the herds of molds and mosses. He followed where his assumptions led and headed east where he thought the sound came. He opened the first door near what seemed to be a reception desk only to be greeted by a space full of rubble and two double size beds that have seen better days. He continued forth, opening more doors with one suddenly collapsing as he clumsily groped its knob. Caught by surprise, dust dispersing from the fallen door had him coughing. He took a puff of his cigarette once he settled, checking the room withβyet againβthe same setting of disorder: heaps of rubble and a set of moldy furniture.
There was one room that he checked, appearing to be rather different from the others. It was well-kept, furniture were put together in an orderly arrangement. Books were sorted neatly on wooden shelves that seemed far from decaying. The carpet was overrun by molds though, but that was the only one of all amenities with a noticeably untidy condition. It was odd to think that despite how people would salvage supplies from one place to anotherβleaving nothing but heaps of unwanted objects behindβsomething could be preserved. Nelson speculated someone was still living at the place, but given the circumstances and its location being a vulnerable spot for bandits, there were equal amounts of doubt that disproved his belief.
As feet moved quietly to the direction he'd set, a sudden clatter of metal parts was heard nearby, motioning Nelson to halt and hide between cornered spaces of the corridor. He was no longer alone, or at least he'd thought. He slowly tiptoed forward, peering towards the large door where the noises were conceivably produced. Through the darkness, a sign could be read. The room before him was the canteen, and going back to what he heard, someone might be scouring for food or anything that could be left to take. There were supplies, and the thought of it had given Nelson a purpose to stay and negotiate with whoever was inside.
Clicking the doorknob, the canteen's entrance creaked open. Nelson hoped that wouldn't be noticeable enough to give away his position. He heard no footsteps as he silently sneaked inside, which felt rather strange. An ambiance similar to the rest of the abandoned and decaying rooms could be observed inside. Untidy tables tossed and overturned, cracked tiles inhabiting the floors and dozens of flies hovering around the putrid mess of rotten food. There was a small pool of blood spotted further left on top of a table, and its fresh, crimson colour clearly indicated that someone had been around recently. Whether they could be hostile or not, he couldn't tell. What bothered him however, was the absence of a body near the table drenched in blood.
"Hello?" Nelson called, deciding to give himself away throughout the darkness. "I know you're in here. Listen, I'm not a bandit and I just wanted to talk."
Shuffling through more tables and chairs, he neared the canteen's counter. He stopped mid-step when he felt something beneath his shoe. He stepped away and pulled his lighter out, tapping its flicker to light up what was on the floor. With a sudden gasp, grimace replaced Nelson's eagerness to find whoever was hiding. Two bodies were lying down before him with one having both eyes opened lifelessly and a mouth that was left agape. The person was already dead though the other one, he couldn't be so sure. Nelson would place a hand on the person's back to scan any signs of breathing, but he feared something unpleasant might happen. He was the type of person who'd throw up from the sight of a dead body, but he didn't feel like doing so just yet. He waited and observed for any movements the second person might make, but after a short while, his patience waned.
He crouched, cautiously poking the person's head with his fingers.
"Hey, are you alright? can you get up?" He whispered. If it turned out to be a dead body, then vomiting was sure to follow.
