Necrocide

Chapter 5

Aaron let out a long, satisfying yawn and rose up. He realized he was still in nothing but his boxers as he looked toward the dumbwaiter and found his clean clothes. He then looked down at the elastic wrap protecting his wound, a dark red streak emblazoned on the bandage.

Relaxing music from a past time faded to a conclusion, followed by a radio DJ's voice. "This is the Matheson Sounds of Hope hits, raising hope through the sweet sounds of music. Never give up, ladies and gents. There's still a beautiful world out there."

"Forgot to turn that off," Aaron said to himself as he stretched his arms.

He lifted himself out of the bed and walked to the radio to turn it off. He grabbed his new clothes and put them on.

He made his way to the bathroom and shut the door. However, once he caught a glimpse of what was in the mirror, he almost freaked out.

He was extremely pale. His face and skin were as white as snow and the cuts and black eye from his beating yesterday had vanished as if he never received them.

"What the bloody hell?" he said to himself. "I've only been without a job for...wait. How long was I out?"

After using the bathroom, Aaron ran back out to his clock. 10:30 AM.

"Shit!" he shouted.

His stomach rumbled aggressively. Hunger had taken over him.

"I missed dinner."

He sat down on his couch and strapped on his boots, planning on gettting breakfast in the Commons. He was about to open up his drawer and grab some Ration Cards, but he noticed a small pile of papers gathered at his door.

He picked up some of the papers, which turned out to be two envelopes. He ripped open one and pulled out a letter:

Hey, bruv, it's Jonah. Sorry about all that shit happening yesterday. I know becoming an infantryman was practically a mission in itself, and I hate to see that taken away. I offered to buy you a drink, but you didn't show up. Nika missed you. But to make up for that, me and her decided you should have a few Ration Cards to make your day and get a nice meal. Don't worry. We've been too busy to eat anyway. Enjoy, mate!

- Jonah, your brother from another mother (if we actually had mums)

The message warmed his heart and amused him in kind of a dark way. He and Jonah had been orphans as long as they could remember. They even lived together in the same orphanage even before the rise of the Deadmen.

Best non-biological brother ever, Aaron happily thought to himself. Definitely owe him some drinks.

He placed the letter on the end table next to his couch and ripped open the next one. As promised, he was awarded with three blue Ration Cards guaranteeing one free meal per card. He was set for the whole day.

He stuffed the cards into his pocket and made his way out of the apartment.

* * *

Several minutes later, Aaron was in the Commons. He ran to the nearest shop and ordered a bowl of porridge, an apple, a glass of orange juice, and a muffin. The whole thing cost him one Ration Card, but he was used to how Matheson's system of equal servings worked.

He carried his breakfast on a tray to a table outside the shop and sat down. Even though he knew it was a new day, he pulled on his hood to avoid the angry looks of any DZI that came across him. He then nervously took a spoonful of porridge and dug in.