Settling In

It took Jack a few minutes to bring himself back to being action-oriented again. No more wallowing, damn it! He pushed himself up and went to get his journal. However, when entering the inventory-bedroom, he found little extra to categorize. He generally just had mementos of the past and old clothes left now. There were the bed sheets and towels he would need to fully block the windows, a few stands and pipes he might be able to use to build something with his godly duct tape, some luggage cases for transport, and an old robe that maybe Lily could use until her clothes were done drying. It wasn't a great option, but he didn't think he had anything else with a chance of fitting her.

Enough time had passed that he should check on her again… Bringing the robe as a peace offering, Jack made a point of calling her name loudly as he ascended the stairs.

"Lily! Are you done in the bathroom yet? … Your clothes aren't done yet, but I have a robe and a bedroom with a door you can also lock! ...Or an office, if you like offices better!"

There was a pause. Jack paused his ascension of the stairs. He almost started an intense internal debate about what he might have done wrong but she thankfully responded.

"…Ok, bring the robe. But, don't try anything funny! I… have a weapon!"

A weapon?? What weapon? …Did she break his towel holder? The wooden rod could make a decent club. Maybe. Jack wasn't sure if he respected the girl a bit more for her quick thinking, or if he was upset she was already breaking his stuff. He decided to be the former.

"That's fine… I'm coming up!"

"Pórtese bien!... Soy muy peligrosa!"

"I don't speak Spanish, Lily."

Jack ascended the stairs and knocked on the door. The door opened a crack and a small, feral eye peered out at him with the wariness of a cornered tomcat. He wordlessly held out the green, fuzzy bathrobe. A claw struck out of the crack in the door, clenching the robe with goblin-like ferocity. In a feat of strength it ripped the covering through the crack in the door, which quickly slammed shut. Was he sure this wasn't some new strain of zombie? A few moments of silence passed before an oddly human voice spoke out, this time tinged with a tone of complaint.

"It smells musty."

"It's been in my storage Lily. I've… lived alone for a long time… and always worn clothes… so I didn't need it. I'd wash it but that would defeat the purpose."

"Ok."

"Listen, do you want the bedroom or the office? Both can be locked from the inside and both are more comfortable than the bathroom."

"…The bathroom."

"Ok, its just a few doors down the hallway. Once you are ready, you can open the door and I can show you where it is."

Another pause. She was considering her alternatives. There weren't many… Unless he just told her where the room was and went back downstairs? Jack cursed himself internally, and was about to give her this option when the door swung open. A tiny wizard in an oversized green robe was there, hair clinging to her shoulders in wet clumps. She took a step back and held the wooden dowel like it was a baseball bat.

Lily stared at him with keen eyes, ready for violence. He stared back, face neutral and a bit tired. She once again reminded him of a cornered cat, this time soaking wet, ready to throw caution to the wind in a final desperate attack. Some part of Jack relaxed with this. He wasn't this girl's parent. Her past wasn't his fault. Jack could and would help her, but why panic about it? He was just some old guy she didn't trust and at this point she had as much right to choose her fate as anyone.

"You asked to come here, remember? Come on. The room is this way."

No longer returning her glare. He strode to the bedroom door, opened it, and started back towards the stairs. She remained in her defensive position in the bathroom. He stopped once he was at the top of the stairway, now safely out of her eventual path.

"Your clothes are almost done in the washer, so only about 45 minutes left once they go in the drier. If you need anything in that time you can shout down. I have a phone if you want to use it, the phone lines might be clear by now, and there is also internet.

… But you can't break it like my towel rack, alright?"

Jack almost heard her freeze at that, but he still made his escape down the stairs. It only took a few minutes before he heard the sound of running and a door slam. He went downstairs to check the washer and, seeing it had completed its cycle, switched the contents over to the dryer. Jack checked his phone and looked to verify it's charge. Seeing it was at 15%, he grabbed the charger (he was going to miss electricity) and brought both up to his bedroom. Knocking at the door he prepared himself for round 2.

"Hey Lily. I brought the phone and a charger. Do you want it?"

"...Mmmmm."

"Alright, I'll leave it outside the door. ...If you try to call anyone and they don't pick up, it might be because the lines are down...

Listen... I think for a while, it's just going to be me and you. If you want to stay, I'm going to need your help. Just... think about that, ok?"

"...Ok."

"Great, I'll come back up when your clothes are dry. Good luck. The password is a rectangle, drawn with the bottom six dots. If you cant get it just tell me, I'll be working upstairs in a bit."

"...Ok, thank you."

Silence. She was waiting for him to leave, which he happily obligated. He went downstairs, found the bed sheets, and used a combination of curtain rod and tape to create a thick cover over each window in the inventory bedroom. He only taped one horizontal edge on each side and lifted the corner of the cover to allow for natural light to enter the room in the day. Once he had perfected the model on the first window, the other one in the room soon followed.

He figured he only had enough material to cover two more rooms, and decided on the upstairs bedroom and the office, as they both were facing the street and would be good places to socialize or work on small projects in the night. He'd also stuff a towel to cover the window of the upstairs bathroom, though he felt he might be overthinking things at this point. Obvious his bedroom was currently inaccessible, so he took the sheets and towels up to his office and got started there. Lily didn't call for him during this time so he guessed she had figured out the password.

This took him about half and hour, so still had some time before the dryer was done. Thinking about the afore-considered cellar, he got his battle gear on and exited out the back door. Swinging around the side of the house, he found the metal door with a large padlock. Should he shoot it? Does shooting locks work or is that just a video game thing? He didn't want to try if he wasn't sure it would work or was safe. This is the kind of thing he'd use his phone for, Lily...

Grumbling to himself, as if he hadn't willingly offered the phone to her, Jack peeked his head around the front corner of the house. In the distance, he saw a lone figure standing forlornly on the southern bend of the road. He didn't think this was another little girl. He slowly pulled his head back, hoping it hadn't seen him. Jack's heart was racing. Not at the threat of the lone figure, but of the horde mulling about just a few blocks down, waiting to be pulled to them. In all his mundane preparations, the realization of how little it would take to drown him hadn't taken hold. He needed either a solution, or another distraction.

Jack had been thinking about finding a safe way to move faster than the undead. He had a few targets in mind. The little girl wouldn't need his help soon. Once she was set up, maybe he could try leading them off.