Роберт Уилсон - Days Since... - Xavier - Day 853

“Hey, do you mind if I—?” Xavier pointed to the footlocker at the end of Matt’s cot.

“Naw, you’re good,” Matt said. “You know you don’t have to ask, man.” He rubbed across his patchy moustache and beard. “Haven’t shaved in a long time. I think it’s starting to come in really good now. What do you think?”

Xavier shot him a look. It doesn’t look any different.

“You’ll start getting yours soon enough.”

“I already have.” Xavier looked up at Matt, turning his head so he could show off the two hairs poking from his chin. “See.”

“Nice.” Matt smirked. “A real man now.”

“Whatever…”

Xavier pushed the footlocker against the eastern wall. He ran his hand up and down the metal sheet that rested where a window once hung. It was generally smooth, but high-caliber gunfire had spoiled its overall condition—some spots worse than others. The slits in the metal sheets provided a limited view of the world beyond River’s Edge. Xavier from time to time would peek out. This one time… Mom. Dad. Come on! Come home… I need you guys. I don’t want to do this alone anymore. Today, only the trees and wild brush swaying in the wind greeted him.

In the distance, he could spot the houses which broke the natural line of trees that ran along the hillsides, eventually giving way to the skyscrapers of downtown—those dreary colossal figures. The throughways to the urban core were barren. The automobiles that cruised the smooth concrete were forgotten, waiting in their driveways and garages. The scene appeared as a model that was never touched by its creator—habitable, but abandoned.

Xavier remembered life before. Before the Almawt virus ripped the world apart. It had been over two years since the last victim passed away. Over two years since the structures built by the most dominant species Earth had ever known lay dormant. Houses, where the middle class raised their children, no longer lit up the hillsides. The manicured lawns and paved roads were filled with weeds and dust. Although he couldn’t bring himself to return there, he could still point out his house among the tall oaks and ash trees.

“Thanks.” Xavier left the alcove and returned the footlocker.

“Any luck today?” Matt asked.

“I’m not sure luck exists anymore.”

“It does. Just takes more to find it.” He patted Xavier on the back and then squeezed his shoulder. “Your dad told us the only way to lose is by giving up. Just gotta keep looking for it.”

“Yeah, I guess so…” Xavier’s voice faded as he looked toward the alcove again. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been out there. It’s kind of crazy to think about, huh?”

“Yeah…” Matt nodded. “Hey! You got something new going on today?”

“I won’t really know until I get over to the shop. You know how Grant is.” Xavier rolled his eyes. “We always have something new he wants to get started on. It feels like we never get anything done, but… whatever. What about you?”

“Me and Jenny gotta make some repairs to the wall on the river side. Some Guard saw someone on a motorboat passing through. Freaked him out or something, so they just want some stuff fixed up. Shouldn’t take more than a day or two,” he said, reassuring himself. “Just can’t help but think that boating’s a waste of gas.”

“Did they do anything other than cruise through?”

“Naw, not that I know. They don’t really tell me nothing. Just fix this or fix that. You know how things go around here now.” Matt gestured toward one of the Guards. “Everything’s a secret now.”

Xavier nodded. “You mentioned Jenny. How’s she doing?” Xavier’s face filled up with a partial grin.

“Meh, still nosy as ever.” Matt shook his head with a discouraged look upon his face. “Always in someone else’s business, and I just couldn’t deal with it anymore. She don’t listen. I didn’t have a choice but to end it. She’s gonna get into trouble someday.”

“Probably. She’s really cute though.” Xavier held a completely full grin now.

“Get outta here.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but…” He leaned in toward Matt. “If you two aren’t seeing each other anymore.”

“Go on! Get outta here,” he said while nudging Xavier away. “You about ready?”

Matt bent down, unlocked his footlocker, and grabbed a small, canvas bag from inside. Xavier did the same from his, and they made their way down the hall to the bathroom.

“Barely gonna be a wait for us today,” Matt said, as he placed his feet in line for the sinks during the morning rush.

“Good. We might not have much time before they take the lamps out to recharge.” Xavier eyed the solar-powered lanterns that were strung across the ceiling.

The men’s room was relatively open now. Toilets had been discarded in favor of a long white trough running the length of the room. It was secured to the wall at a slight downward angle ultimately terminating into a pipe that took the liquid waste from the building and into the river.

The sinks were relatively unchanged from the past, evenly spaced from one another, hanging from the wall opposite the trough. The only additions to them were the pipes that ran down from the ceilings.

Without running water, they had to rely on gravity and the reservoir tanks that rested on the school’s roof. Each sink’s pipe was fixed with two separate valves—one to get your allowance of water and the other to slowly release it for use. Each had a bucket underneath that caught the gray water from the drains.

Xavier and Matt hustled to find a spot in line for the sinks during the morning rush.

They waited patiently as their places in line moved them closer to the sinks. The chatter and laughter growing inside the room echoed, drowning out any individual conversation. The old bathroom etiquette of no eye contact and no talking was tossed aside. It was now a social event.

Xavier stepped forward, unzipped his bag, and placed his toothbrush and toothpaste on the sink. He tightened the lower valve of the water pipe and loosened the top one. The pipe filled with his allowance. He reversed the order, and a slow trickle began to run over his toothbrush. After he finished brushing his teeth, he splashed his face and ran the remaining water through his hair. He put away his things and went to leave.

“Hey! You better dump that bucket.”

He turned back toward the sinks and caught the scornful look of Geoff Rupert, his beady eyes locking onto Xavier. Geoff was the unfortunate man tasked with maintaining the latrines. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, the job included the outdoor bucket holes and burying the excrement outside the town’s wall.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize it was above the line.” Damn it—Xavier pulled the bucket from underneath the sink and put a spare one in its place—don’t apologize to that jerk. That’s why he has that crappy job. He’s too dense to realize if he’d only play nice, maybe he could do something else. Maybe he’d have someone on his side for a change.

He waddled over to the trough, the bucket unsteady in his grip. He set it on the floor and then relieved himself into the channel. Once he was finished, he leaned the bucket against the higher end and tilted it to a slow pour.

The gray, filmy water rushed toward the drainage pipe lifting whatever other filth lay along the way. It pooled at the bottom, waiting its turn to escape into the Ohio River. He noticed Rupert watching him as he returned the bucket. His close-set eyes glaring hate into Xavier’s being.

“There we go,” Xavier said, as he placed the bucket with the spares.

“Took you long enough.” Rupert puffed his chest out. “Don’t let it happen again.”