For a while, they forgot about hunger and about being dirty. They all were exciting about the idea of entering an area where nobody had set foot in ever since the virus. It was something they hadn't seen in a while and hadn't expected to stumble across ever. Usually, whatever new place they came across, someone had been there before, destroyed half of it and took everything that had been worth taking. But not here.
"It's great, is it?" Hawk said, smiling. "Almost everything seems to be still intact."
"Just imagine what we will find here!" Hope nodded, now showing more energy than she had all day. "Maybe even food and clean clothes and, who knows, even shampoo."
"Now you sound like Gel", Falcon grinned. "But don't worry, I get where you're coming from. We need to get ourselves cleaned up soon. Those 'new' clothes are starting to smell already, too."
"Food! The most important thing is food!" Lex exclaimed, followed by some loud sneeze. "And a place for the night."
"Everything looks clean, so that should not be a problem", Hawk interjected. "Well, dusty, of course, but not destroyed, broken and disgusting. We could stay here at least until we're feeling better again. Of course we'd have to check the whole area first. What seems like paradise can easily turn out to be the opposite. But honestly, I think we should be safe here. For now, and maybe even for longer."
"That sounds great!" Hope smiled. "I'd love to stay in one place for a while, not having to bother with security and keeping watch and being hungry and thirsty and dirty and on the run all the time."
"Same for me", Falcon agreed. "This place looks perfect. I'm all for staying for a while and getting some well-deserved rest. And no constant talk about going off into the city!" She threw Lex a sharp glance.
He glanced back, followed by another sneeze. "Believe it or not, for once I'm actually agreeing with you", he then said. "All I want right now is a pillow and a blanket and a good night's sleep without any cold or rain."
Surprised, Falcon looked at him. Well, apparently sick Lex was much easier to get along with than healthy Lex.
"Well, if even Lex agrees, then we should try to make this work", Hawk grinned, ignoring Lex' annoyed glances in his direction. "Let's check out the area and the cabins and the caravans. I'm sure exploring the allotments will be worth it."
"I used to go camping when I was younger", Hope told them, hurrying along behind them. "Maybe there are some cookers that work with batteries, like we had in the early days at the mall. Maybe there are even some spare batteries! Or gas bottles. Camping cookers and heaters often work with gas. And maybe …"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves", Hawk warned her, grinning. "We should check the area first, to make sure it's secure."
But for the first time ever, the was overruled. Hope wasn't the only one who wanted to start exploring the cabins and caravans as soon as possible. Lex and Falcon were right there with her. And truth be told, so was Hawk.
"Let's check everything out!" Lex urged them. "Maybe will find some cans of food. I can't believe I'm actually saying this but I'd love some nice beans and tomatoes and soup and …"
"Again, let's not try to get ahead of ourselves!" Hawk reminded him while wondering at the same time how anyone could actually be all smiles about tin food when they could have some roasted bird or grilled fish instead. But then again, there was nothing wrong with having a variety of things to eat. And for once in a while it would be nice to just sit down and enjoy some good food instead of having to go hunting and preparing first.
"And here we go", he finally announced. "That's the first of the cabins, although this one's roof is damaged. The next one's more or less intact, I think."
They all walked closer. While Hawk and Falcon still kept their eyes open for unwelcome surprises, Lex didn't really bother with it anymore. This couldn't be trap. Nobody would go to so much trouble keeping the allotments all 'old world intact' just to catch a few strays that were wandering around.
"They even have rain barrels next to them", Hope noticed. "We could clean them up and use them to catch rain water. It does seem to rain a lot here. More than back on our part of the island."
Sure enough, there was a big blue barrel next to both of the wooden cabins, but both of them were overgrown with all sorts of stuff. If any water had managed to get in there at all lately, it probably wasn't exactly clean, considering all the leaves and other green stuff that most likely had ended up in the barrels as well.
"Well, at least that would be a better purpose for the stupid rain than making us all wet and sick", Lex growled. He kept looking around. "Hey, do you want to split? Let's all check out something. That way we'll be much faster."
Falcon shrugged. "Fine with me", she said. "I'm longing to explore the insides of one of this cabins. This one looks like nobody has been in here for years. I'm wondering what treasures we might find."
"I'm going to have a look at one of these caravans", Hope announed, turning to the other side of the path.
"I tried to open one of the doors, but it was locked", Hawk warned her.
"Leave that to me", Lex immediately said, just like Hawk had thought he would. "You two take a look at the cabins, and me and Hope are going to explore the caravans. They look more intact than most of the houses I've seen since the virus started."
"That's because they are", Hawk agreed. "I don't think anyone had been in here for years. It's dusty and everything but still in better shape than any of those old houses we've seen in the deserted village."
"Well then, let's try the lock", Lex interruped impatiently and walked over to the nearest caravan, followed by Hope.
Falcon lifted her eyebrows. "I haven't seen Lex like this for … I don't know, ever. Apparently someone's in a really good mood today, despite having a cold and everything."
Hawk smiled at her. "I think we all needed a bit of hope after the last few days. And discovering this little paradise here, well, I think it gave all of us our hope for the future, or at least the next few days, back. You saw Hope's reaction as well. Smiles, ideas, excitement. Not the tired girl that asked for a break every other minute earlier."
"I know." Falcon smiled as well. "And I hate to admit it but even I wouldn't say no to a nice bed and a can of beans."
The two of them walked closer towards the cabin that seemed to be more or less intact. In front of it, everything was overgrown with weeds. There were thick vines in front of the dirty windows as well, which wasn't necessarily bad because it had proven to be sort of a protection for the windows from the elements.
"Well, let's hope we get lucky", Hawk grinned. "But we need to find water around here somewhere as well. We can't walk for miles every day to fetch water, and the water in the barrels might not be suitable enough for drinking."
"There has to be water around here!" Falcon insisted. "Back in the old days, the people kept their little gardens here which had to be watered. And in dry periods the rain barrels wouldn't have helped much."
"Well, if there's water, we're going to find it", Hawk assured her. He turned around to see Lex fiddling with the door of one of the caravans while Hope was waiting next to him patiently. Both of them seemed more happy and relaxed than they had before.
Falcon now stepped towards the front door of one of the cabins. "Are you coming?" she asked him. "I'm dying to see what's inside!"
„So am I", Hawk answered, still smiling. "I just thought we might let Lex prove his lockpicking skills at this door, too. I think he could use a little… well, ego boost. You know, feel like we couldn't go on without him."
Now Falcon couldn't help but chuckle.
"Geez, you're bad, you know that? But you've got a point there, and honestly, I think we really need him, because my lock picking skills leave something to be desired… At least if we want to keep the door intact."
She turned around to the caravan, where Lex had already successfully picked the lock and was about to follow Hope inside.
"Hey Lex", she called out to him. "Do you have a second?"
"What is it, birdie-girl?", Lex called back.
"We could use your help here. Could you open that door for us, please?"
Raising an eyebrow, Lex came over to the cabin where Falcon and Hawk waited for him. He looked at the lock, then at Falcon.
"Sooo… you're saying you can't pick that tiny lock and need my help?"
Falcon nodded. "That's what I'm saying. I could open the door, but then, well, then it would stay open for good, if you know what I mean. You're the one with the lockpicking skills around here, thus we're asking for your help."
Lex grinned broadly like the morning sun.
"Don't worry, good old Lex is helping you out! Or in…"
He started fiddling around with the lock and a piece of wire – wherever he had gotten it from – and just seconds later the door swung open.
"Et voila!", he proclaimed.
"Thanks Lex", Hawk said. "I guess now we owe you one!"
"I'll remind you of that, grasshopper! And now, excuse me, I'll have to check up on Hope and see if she can make this caravan a little homey for us…"
With that, he walked back over to the caravan and followed Hope inside. At the cabin, Falcon peeked through the now open door.
"Well then, let's see what we've got here!"
She entered the cabin. It was dim inside, thanks to the vines that blocked the windows, but not so dim that they couldn't see the details. Right upon entering they found themselves in a comparatively large room, which seemed to be the main room. In one corner there was a dinner table with chairs and a bench, in the next corner there was a fireplace, which had obviously also served the previous owners as a stove since there was a kettle and a small pot standing on it. Falcon threw a look into the pot.
"Phew… thanks heavens, it ain't alive!"
She took the pot and put it into the sink, which amazingly was also just dusty, but otherwise clean. Next she opened the cupboard underneath the sink, which turned out to be quite well equipped with more pots, pans and kettles. The next cupboard held an assortment of canned food and some jars of homemade jam and honey.
"So, breakfast is secured…", she stated smiling.
"And so is a good night's sleep, I'd say!"
Hawk had pulled aside a large curtain which, as it turned out, separated a sleeping niche from the rest of the room. The bed he found there was large and covered tidily by a bedspread. It was covered in a layer of dust so you could hardly make out the embroidery on it, flowers and vines, and carefully Hawk pulled it aside. Underneath, the sheets were clean as were the blankets and pillows.
"Just what I wanted to hear!"
Falcon crossed the room until she reached the bed and carefully sat down on it, testing if it was still sound and wouldn't give way under their weight. It didn't, and letting out a relieved sigh Falcon got back on her feet again.
"Beautiful! It feels like ages since I could last park my butt on a nice clean, cosy mattress. And I guess if I sit here for another minute, I'll just fall asleep and won't wake up before next week or so. But there's still some exploration to do, right?"
She grinned, as Hawk nodded.
"Indeed there is, as much as I'd love to just lie down and sleep, too. But before we do that I think we better find us some water and wood for the fireplace."
Opening what seemed to be the only other door inside the cabin, Hawk found a small bathroom with just a shower, a small sink and a toilet.
"Well… we might be able to get the shower working again somehow, using rainwater", he suggested. "Although I'd be perfectly alright with just taking a bath in a lake or stream, if we find one."
"So would I, but who knows, if we stay here for longer, maybe even forever, an indoor shower wouldn't be too bad either. And look at that…" Falcon grinned. "There's even a bottle of shampoo Hope's been so desperately wanting to find!"
"I wonder if she found one in that caravan, too…"
"Yeah, so do I. And now… just give me some clean clothes and I'd be in heaven! I think I'm still having some sand in my boots and who knows where else…" Falcon made a face, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "But that looks like a wardrobe over there, let's check it out!"
She walked over to the last remaining cabinet door that was left unopened, and yanked it open. Looking inside, she let out a squeal before Hawk could even follow her.
"Clean socks! Look at that, Hawk! Dry, clean socks! Gosh, how long has it been since luck was on our side?"
Not waiting for a reply, she grabbed a pair of socks out of the closet, squatted down on the floor and untied her boots. When she kicked one after the other off her feet, grains of sand, small twigs and lumplets of mud fell on the floor with them. Groaning, she looked at her socks. Damp, dirty, wearing thin at the heels. She couldn't even remember their original color. Plus, thanks to the damp socks, her feet were getting cold, so Falcon hurried to get rid of them and put on the dry ones.
"Now I'm feeling better", she sighed. "If we can get this fireplace started, I might even be able to dry my boots over night."
"Yeah, let's see if we can find some wood", Hawk said after grabbing himself a clean and dry shirt out of the closet and putting it on. "There's probably a shack of firewood behind the house! And then we better check the area for water. There might be a well or something here."
"Hopefully there is", Falcon nodded and put her boots back on. "Thinking about it, I'm pretty thirsty by now."
She got back on her feet, looking around in the small cabin. In her eyes, it was perfect. Small, but clean, with a fixed roof overhead, food… something she wouldn't mind calling her new home. Turning back towards Hawk, she looked up at her boyfriend.
"What do you think?", she asked, almost whispering. "Could this become our new home?"
Knowing that look in his girlfriend's eyes, Hawk knew she was longing to settle down somewhere. For more than a year now, she'd done a lot of travelling, searching for her missing sister. She'd already been on the road for months when they first met in the city, and when they finally left the mall to go back to the eco tribe, they had continued the search together from there. Many a night had they spent outdoors, somewhere in the woods or out on the plains, but they had always returned to the eco camp, which was their home. But that home was no more, and the last weeks had been even more exhausting and draining than the entire year before that. And truth be told, Hawk too would've given a lot to find a new place to call home, to settle down and get a normal routine of life back. As normal as it could get in this world, anyway. He smiled and put his arms around Falcon, pulling her close.
"If this place is as safe as we think it is, I sure wouldn't mind staying", he said lowly, hugging her gently. "Everything we need seems to be right here, and of all the places we've seen yet, this is definitely the top spot to stay."
"I wonder if the others think so, too", Falcon mumbled, leaning against Hawk with her eyes closed. "I can imagine Hope might like it here, but I bet Lex won't be too enthusiastic about staying here for good. Too much nature, too little action… and most likely too much us."
Hawk smirked at her words. Yes, Lex definitely wouldn't be founding a "Hawk and Falcon fan club" to save his life, there was no doubt about that.
"But I have to admit I'd hate breaking up with them", Falcon continued. "Somehow… I've grown fond of them. Both of them."
"So have I", Hawk admitted. "Even though Lex is doing his best to make it hard for people to like him, but he does have his qualities."
Now Falcon was smirking.
"Indeed he has, though you gotta trick him into showing them sometimes… I think Hope is right, he's a good guy underneath the rough shell. And after all we've been through together, we're like a tribe already."
Then there was a moment of silence. None of them said a word as they were just enjoying the moment in each others arms, the first one in what seemed like ages.
"We should get out there and be exploring, shouldn't we?", Falcon finally murmured, not moving an inch.
"Yeah, we should", Hawk answered lowly, but didn't move either.
Another few minutes passed, then Falcon opened her eyes again, looking up at Hawk.
"Well then… We better get going, before it's getting dark and we can't explore anything around here anymore. Let's see what Hope and Lex found in that caravan!"
She took his hand, and together they left the cabin and walked over to the caravan.
Meanwhile, with talent and, well, violence, Lex had forced the door to the caravan open. The smell inside made both him and Hope step back in disgust, allowing the fresh air in first.
"Well, certainly not the nicest smell in the world", Hope muttered. "This place hasn't been properly aired for years."
They waited for a moment longer before they finally stepped into the caravan. It wasn't very big and had most likely been used by an elderly couple to spend their weekends. But it was a lovely place for two people with a seating area right next to the door which could also be turned into another bed, a kitchen area in the middle and a big bed in the rear. There was also a small door that probably led into a tiny bathroom.
"Well, looks a lot nicer than where I grew up", Lex commented, looking around. The bed was properly made and the linens and bedsheets looked dusty, but they were otherwise clean and without holes. There were even a few pillows. It all looked very comfortable, and suddenly Lex wasn't in the mood for exploring anymore, he just wanted to lie down and take a nap. He hadn't been able to do that in ages.
"I hope there aren't any spiders in here", Hope commented, carefully eying the darker corners and shifting a pillow in the seating area to look behind it.
Lex yawned. "I'll throw them out if there are any", he offered, taking a seat in the bed. Then he spotted the little fridge that belonged to the kitchen area and immediately got up again, yanking the little door open.
"Ewww!"
"What is it, Lex?" Hope asked who'd just considered trying to open one of the storage boxes beneath the seating area.
"Think milk that's five years behind it's due date, think something that's probably been jam once and well … just think of a fridge that hasn't been used for years."
"Considering the heat in this closed space during the hot summer days … no, I really don't want to think about all that." Hope made a face. "But isn't there anything useable in there?"
"If you want to go through the contents of that fridge, be my guest. Me, I'm done here." Lex firmly closed the door and turned to the little cupboard next to the fridge. It's contents brought a big smile to his face.
"I take it we'll be having beans for dinner tonight?" Hope grinned, watching him. She liked it when Lex was in a good mood which was seldom enough.
"Beans, and almost everything one could want." Lex started to recite what he saw on the tin labels. Hope's stomach started to rumble. She couldn't even recall the last time she ate most of the stuff.
"There's chocolate, too, but it might taste a bit stale now", Lex continued regretfully. "And there's noodles and hey, even wine. I think tonight is a mighty fine occasion for a feast, don't you? I'm sure that wine's still good!"
Probably, but Lex' reputation when it came to alcohol wasn't, so Hope wasn't to keen on a so-called feast. Besides, they were all sick and tired and just needed some well-earned rest.
"Aren't you feeling sick anymore, Lex?"
"Hey, no better cure to that damn cold than a bottle of wine, baby!"
She rolled her eyes at him. "I think that will just make it worse. Anyway, don't start drinking now. There's so much to be explored."
"Yeah, yeah." Impatiently he closed the door of the cupboard again and opened a bigger one next to the bathroom door. "Raincoats. An umbrella. Clothes-pegs. Old trousers and jackets. Fishing hats. Well, could be worse."
Hope had started to open the cupboards above the cooker and was now telling Lex it's contents – mostly dishes, polish, washing-up liquid and matches.
"It's like being on a treasure hunt!" she happily exclaimed, ignoring her sore throat while still telling Lex whatever she found.
Meanwhile, Lex, who didn't care that much for plates and cups, had opened the door to the small bathroom. It was smelly in there and the little window didn't open because of the hedges that had grown behind the caravan.
"Phew, now that's a tiny space", he commented, opening on of the cupboards. "But well, there are toothpaste and toothbrushes and everything. Do I get a kiss for mentioning shampoo?"
Well, he didn't get one, although Hope smiled happily while re-arranging the seat upholstery so they could inspect the storage boxes below.
"There's even some kind of toilet in here", Lex mentioned.
"I'd say we hit the jackpot", Hope stated, opening the storage box and dragging out a pair of rather big looking pink rubber boots.
"If every caravan and cabin is like this one, then even I'd be willing to spend some time here", Lex agreed, wiping away the dust on his trousers.
"Well, nature already had its way with some of the cabins and caravans, so we won't be that lucky everywhere. But with a place like this, well, even if we'll decide to go off exploring the area, we can always come back here."
"I still think the city is our best bet", Lex insisted, leaving the bathroom door open for the smell to vanish. "I mean, don't get me wrong, this place is nice, and it's great to have food and a comfortable place to sleep. But what would I do here all day? Hugging trees? Sitting on the steps of the caravan, watching the days go by? I need some excitement and adventure, Hope."
"Well, I've had enough excitement for a while", Hope firmly stated. "I'd be happy doing nothing for a few days, maybe explore the surroundings a bit, stuff like that. There are other tribes here in the area, you know. Moana's tribe for sure, and people like Eden … we could try to make contact with them, trade with them."
"And then what? Having tribal gatherings with them, trade ugly pink rubber boots for fish, hug a few trees, then go home and sleep? Not my world, Hope."
She sighed, now scared again that one of these days, Lex would walk off on his own, leaving her behind. His next sneeze, however, brought her back into reality.
"But first things first", he grumbled. "I really want to get rid of this annoying cold. And stuff myself with beans. And that wine really looks tempting. Share a bottle with me, Hope?"
"Not today", she replied firmly. And probably not tomorrow either for Hope wasn't one for alcohol and getting wasted. But Lex seemed happy, and if some bottles of wine did that, then Hope was thankful for it. Maybe there would be enough wine to keep him around for a bit longer.
A knocking sound drew their attention to the half opened door of the caravan. Falcon was sticking her head in.
"Hey, you two… How's things going in here? Did you find anything useful?"
"We did", Hope nodded, coming closer, while Lex hid a bottle of wine behind a pillow. He certainly wasn't going to share his new found stash with the two treehuggers. "We've good a bunch of canned food in here, plus some clothes, soap and a clean bed. How about you?"
"Pretty much the same", Hawk reported. "Though I'm not exactly into canned food, dinner is secured I guess. But we thought we'd better explore the place a little more before settling in for the night, as long as we still have daylight. Are you coming?"
"Yes, sure!" Hope turned around to Lex. "Lex?"
"Yeah, right…", he groaned and got back on his feet. "We don't want birdie-girl to kick in all the doors, do we?"
This time, Falcon didn't take offense since Lex had a point there. She stepped back to give Hope and Lex room to leave the caravan, then the four of them walked along the gravel path towards another caravan that seemed to be equally intact besides its entrance being blocked by stinging nettles. Lex opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Hawk. Hope and Falcon waited outside. That caravan was definitely too small for four people to search the interior for goods.
Hearing the guys rummage through cupboards and storage boxes, the girl looked around the outside of the caravan. A huge plastic box stood on the back side, unlocked. Falcon opened the lid to check out the contents.
"Oh, yuck!" She made a face. "Damn those leaky boxes…"
Inside the box, there was a rather unidentifiable mound of something that was obviously slowly rotting away for quite a while. Some colorful leftover shreds of fabric told the sad story of what looked like it could've been a nice set of camping chair cushions before it got wet and started molding.
"Egads", Hope muttered. "I guess those are a total loss."
"Yep, definitely!"
Falcon let the lid fall back into place just as Lex and Hawk stepped back out of the caravan again.
"We found some more clothes and blankets in there, plus some candles", Lex told them. "No more canned food though."
"Well, they can't all be stacked like warehouses." Falcon shrugged.
"Obviously not… but we found something the two of you might like", Hawk said, handing each girl a hairbrush.
"Absolutely! Thanks!" Falcon grinned and put the hairbrush in her back pocket. Hope followed her example, holding back the urge to use the brush right away. But as long as she didn't get to properly wash her hair, it wouldn't work out anyway.
"There's nothing useful back there, unless we want to empty that box and use it.", Falcon then said. "But I'd suggest we don't, it doesn't seem to be tight anyway and I'm not keen on poking around in a heap of mold."
"Then let's get to the next cabin!"