With a strong jerk, Mirin wakes up in a tub of tepid water. She springs up, splashing the water onto the floor, and looks around a bit confused. "What the hell?!" She says to herself, suddenly feeling her head throb intensely. Noticing her wet clothes stick to her body, she groans out as she realizes what happened.

Hobie's pov

With the gate secured, I looked up to see Mirin sway and fall. Her body was barely cushioned by the cubby as she slumped to the floor. Instinctively, I rushed to her side in fear for her. But as I held her in my arms, cradling her, shaking her, I began to panic. Mirin was breathing, but her breaths were shallow and she looked pale. Her blotchy white and brown skin was flushed red as she shivered. I didn't know what to do, she looked small and helpless. It seemed like I sat there with her for longer than it actually was before my senses came back to me. A new issue had come to light. Was she infected?

My eyes darted between her and her pistol on her hip. I scanned over her for any obvious bites or scratches and placed her gun on the cubby seat. I only noticed her hand that the hen bit. I try to pull myself together; if I panic for too long, she's either going to die of hypothermia or if she's infected. Quickly, I picked Mirin up and Carried her to the tub. She was a little heavy if i'm being honest. I tried my best to bundle her up, took her boots and coat off, and ran the water so she could soak in the warmth. It was the safest and quickest way I could think of to warm her up.

Looking at her in the bath, I calmed down a bit, but not completely. Her clothes being soaked crossed my mind. I don't think she'd be too happy to wake up nude, though.

I shake off the thought and leave her be, these thoughts aren't exactly helpful at the moment. But good lord, did I have to restrain myself from the thoughts coming back egging me to take another glance. The pigmentation around her eyes made her look sort of like she had a panda mask smudged across her face. She had freckles scattered around her face as well as patches and blotches along her arms, hands, and legs. I'm guessing that's what makes her hair white like that.

I had never seen someone with vitiligo in person before, so it's been really distracting. Trying to converse with her without thinking "The hell's goin' on with ya face, love?" It's quite odd, really. But it's growin' on me. Her little panda smudging was one of the first things I noticed, but how do you bring that up to a stranger? One that saved your life nonetheless, you know what I mean?

I turned the bathroom lock before I left, closing the door once she was settled in the warm water and looked a little better in her complexion. And just in case, I moved her coffee table from her living room, down the hall and propped it in front of the bathroom door. She's definitely going to be pissed when she wakes up locked in the bathroom, but I'm not taking any chances. It takes around a day for someone to turn, so she's going to have to stay in there and wait it out whether she wants to or not.

I wonder how she'd react if I did ask about her skin condition. She'd probably hit me and laugh it off. But she's behind this door for now, so I could essentially say whatever the hell I wanted, hm?

Mirin had dropped her backpack when she fell, and left a leaking net of fish on the floor. With a heavy sigh and a shrug, I picked the wet net up and carried it from the foyer to the kitchen island counter with a squishy plop. I'm not the biggest fan of fish, and these little buggers stank. But, picky mouths don't get fed. So, with a screwed up face, I wrapped them within a towel and chucked the heavy bastards into the ice box, right next to the deer meat. There were maybe 5 or 6 fish in that net of various sizes.

Okay, "Chucked" is a strong word, but the way I recoiled when whatever awful liquid dripped on my feet, the way I dropped them down, chucked is appropriate here. I wipped my arms and feet dry, along with the counter and floor, but that smell was still lingering. I HAD to rummage in her laundry room for some sort of cleaning product. Anything would do, because water just wasn't enough.

Ms. Tasty was resting fine in there, seeming to perk right up when I entered the room. Maybe because I fed her? The hen squawked at me and partially flew over to sit at my feet as I searched. "Glad to see you've been behaving yourself." I said softly to her, reaching over to pat her on the head. Despite the amount of bird shit I had cleaned up, she was pretty chill for a wild animal.

I found a neglected can of ajax in one of the cabinets. It was basically empty but it'll do for now. Getting up to leave, I got one foot out of the room when Tasty pecked me and pulled at my pant leg. She let go when I turned around and looked up at me sideways. Animals usually want one thing. "What was that for, hm?" She clucks as if to answer, fluttering her wings and twitches her head to look up at me again. "I don't have anything for you right now, girl. Sorry," Tasty seemed to disapprove of my extended empty hand and flapped off towards the sliding door, then started pecking at the glass. The door was locked, so she wasn't getting anywhere.

I closed the laundry room door quietly and proceeded back to the kitchen. While wiping the foyer floor down, I noticed a few, berries? on the floor. They most likely came from Mirin's bag. I collected them and picked her bag up, only to find more berries and other plants within that were drenched and soggy of course. I wasn't sure how to save them, so I just placed them in a kitchen towel. Searched through her kitchen cabinets for some sort of tupperware, and yeeted them into the deep freezer as well.

While Mirin recovered, I gave Tasty some of those nuts and berries, and then went through Mirin's things in the living room again. Because what else was I going to do to kill time?

There was a door just before the staircase, but it was locked. Guessing that's the basement, then. There was a flat screen TV mounted on the wall above her fireplace. I tried turning it on but I figured it wouldn't work. Probably for the best, wasting her power wouldn't be good for either of us. Same went for her stereo by one of the windows, shame really. If I had my guitar still, I'd have something to do until she wakes up. My mind reminisced as I scanned over her bookshelf.

Mirin's cabin was interesting enough, definitely more entertaining than the abandoned buildings and houses I've come across recently. It's homey, lived in. But that's to be expected I guess since this is her house. Going through a stranger's things felt a bit wrong, to say the least. But given the circumstances, I'd never get a chance to snoop through someone's shit like this if things were normal, you get me?

Among all the books; which Mirin has a butt load of, both in the living room and upstairs, my hand had come across a burgundy photo album. I hesitated for a moment. Opening this may be stepping over some boundaries.

So anyway, I popped a squat on the floor and opened up the thick binder book. The first page read:

"This book belongs to:

Marina M. Monroe"

Followed by "If lost, please return to: 7649 Paradise MTN, Calypso Valley, ME, 04217"

With an embossed image of a lily etched right underneath.

(10 Minutes Later)

"Damn, so her face has been a Jackson Pollock canvas since birth, huh?" I Laugh to myself as I go through her photo album. Turning past multiple pictures of her and some other kid, guessing he was her brother. The photos take a turn from family focused to mainly her and her friends after a while. Within the meat of the album, I turned to a page with a photograph of a man in a military get-up. He was in that usual picture day pose with the flag behind him and all that. I'm gonna assume this was her brother all grown up. On the next page, was a bigger picture of him standing with another much larger, older man. "Who's this Mexican bloke?" I asked myself, before my heart damn near jumped out of my bloody chest.

- Rattle, rattle, rattle -

A sudden loud, rapid noise echoed throughout the cabin and grabbed me out of my thoughts. "Shit!" I jumped up with a flinch, dropping the album and sprinting to retrieve Mirin's pistol from the shoe cubby. I started to hear groaning from the bathroom down the hall and I just wish I had thought to bring my shotgun downstairs. "Fuck, this bitch is about to eat my arse."

I cocked her pistol and aimed for the door, but her voice reassured me. "UUGHHH, Open this door, I'm not bit, got damn it!" Mirin weakly bangs on the door. "Don't shoot, I'm not infected!"

I breathe a sigh of relief and place her gun back down. But I wanted to mess with her just a little. "You sure?" I had to hold back a snicker when she hit the door a bit harder. "Yes I'm sure- the hell kind of question is that? I'm talking, aren't I?"

"Yea, I suppose you are." I chuckle, sitting down on the coffee table keeping the door closed. I felt her try to push the door open, but it seems as though all her usual strength has dwindled for the time being, which is great for my sake.

"Open. The door, Hobie." She demands firmly, thoroughly annoyed. "No can do, short stuff." I knew I was testing my luck with that one, because she immediately blew a fuse at that. "I don't know who the HELL you think you're talking to like that, cause I know it's not me!" She turns the knob forcefully as she slams her body against the door. That attempt might have just worked, if I wasn't sitting on the coffee table. It did however cause me to be nudged slightly from the force. But just as quickly, I heard her knock the wind out of herself and slump to the floor, making water leak from underneath the door. She groans loudly, transitioning from anger and demanding for me to open the door, to pleading.

"Please open the door." She asks with a heavy sigh. I couldn't help but laugh, a shit eating grin plastered on my face. "Nope."

Hearing her groan and rest her head on the other side of the door did make me feel a bit guilty. For once, she was vulnerable and weak for the most part. However, there was no way I was going to open that door. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that, Mirin. Not until I know for sure that you aren't infected."

"This is ridiculous, I told you I'm not! Imprisoned in my own house!" Her voice was hoarse and she was coughing. "This is the safest way to make sure. Plus, I'm pretty damn sure if things were the other way around, you'd do the same…Or you'd just kill me." Crossing my arms, I leaned back on the door and asked "Right or wrong?" She was silent for a beat before sucking her teeth and groaning back in response. "Yea, thought so."

"Man, just wait until I get out, I'm gonna twist that attitude right off your lips." That irked me just a tad. She was being so combative, when I know she understands where I'm coming from. "Tuff tiddy, Mirin. You're stuck in there until like 2pm tomorrow, or whenever you got back." Her attitude was slowly getting transfered to me. "TUFF?! Tuf- oooh, when I get outta-" Her empty threats are interrupted by her groaning and coughing, I just shake my head.

"You have a fever, yelling at me isn't going to help you recover…"

She sucks her teeth, "I know that!" And at that I had had enough of her ungratefulness.

"You're something else, you know that? The least you could say is thanks for helping you."

"Thank you? You locked me in my own bathroom and now you won't open the door! It's freezing in here! Helping me was the least you could do since If it weren't for me, you'd be dead right now."

That was the last straw, I didn't deserve that. "And If it weren't for me, you'd still be freezing on that floor with the front gate not secured in place."

I huffed, her hot-headed nature was really pissing me off. But I guess my outburst hit a nerve, because she didn't respond for a while.

She sighs, "I'm sorry. You're right, thank you." My nostrils flared immediately as my face screwed in disbelief. Why was it so hard for her to accept help, and to say thank you no less?

"Nah, screw you. That was uncalled for. You're full of yourself and hot-headed, you immediately thought that my actions were a threat. And then when I proved you wrong, and I know you understood my decision, you still lashed out at me. Not everyone is out to get you!"

I didn't think I'd react in that way, but she irritated me when she goes 0 to 100 so quickly. We sat in silence for a little while longer before she apologized again, and this time it sounded genuine and not like she was just saying that to get me to open the door.

I didn't respond though, still dwelling in my own feelings.

"I know I can be a lot sometime-"

"Most of the time" I correct her.

"Yes, most of the time. I shouldn't have said that. Thank you for putting me in the bath and not leaving me to die on the floor." Now it was my turn to sigh and release my frustration. "Was that really so hard? Just to accept my help? Or even fathom that I would genuinely want to help you?" She mumbles no, but I didn't think that was enough. "What was that? I couldn't hear you from all the way down there."

"Hey! That's enough, I get it. I was being an ass…I'm sorry. Can you at least bring me a change of clothes?"

"Hmm, lemme think. No."

"Hobie, Please!"

That was enough, she needed to be knocked down a peg. "Alright, Alright, but from where?" No doubt her room was locked, and I didn't see her giving me permission to go up there. "There's a robe in that closet right there, just shove it under the door."

I opened up the closet adjacent to the bathroom and got her the robe. "Um, the floor is soaked, though." "Right" I could hear her shuffling around and coughing. Then a towel blocks the opening under the door as she sops up the puddle. "Gimme a minute."

More shuffling can be heard as what sounds like squelching and squishing. The drain empties the tub and it sounds like she tosses her clothes into the empty tub. "Okay, stuff the robe under the door."

"Uh, you're forgetting something, aren't you? A certain word?" I frown, but get a kick out of her exacerbated reaction. "Please, shove the robe under the door."

"Aaahhh, there it is, your manners." I hear her mumble, "Says the kid that tried to steal from me after saving his life." So I banged my fist on the door slightly in hopes to startle her. "Oi! I'm not the one on trial here, miss." She just yanks the robe into the bathroom with her.

Mirin had only been in the tub for maybe over an hour or so. 23 hours to go then.

I had a feeling she wasn't infected, but she pissed me off, so she's staying in there as payback.