[h3][center][color=pink]Kiki[/color][/center][/h3]
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They rode all morning down that bumpy, gravel road in silence. Kiki and her new acquaintance Wayne took turns pedalling, although enduring the metal butt-ache was nearly as exhausting as pedalling the both of them. They had taken a back route then met up with a highway, unable to avoid it because of the river that it followed. It was taking longer than two hours due to Kiki’s added burden, it was probably nearing four hours as they pulled down an even bumpier gravel-ier driveway. Kiki wondered if her butt would ever be the same after this metal pole digging into it for hours on end.

They soon came to a powder blue house. It was certainly not a new build, an old farmhouse with some renovations and improvements. Wayne dropped the bike in the yard, not bothering with it any longer than he had to. He unlocked the door hurriedly and sat his bag on the floor in the hallway. Kiki stood in the yard in silence, wondering if she should follow him. After a moment of debating, she headed inside. What’s the worst that could happen?


She walked into the quiet house, the late-morning light shining a soft orange glow. She slipped off her muddy shoes onto the hardwood then quietly pressed her way inside, regaining precious feeling in her backside. She heard rustling down a dark hall to the left and followed it, trying not to disturb anyone. At the end, she could see a halfway open door and a bit of light coming from it. She peeked in the doorway to see Wayne above a bed of a woman.


She assumed it was his mother, although they looked nothing alike. He smiled down at her as he took some supplies out of a drawer then laid them on a bedside table.
“Hey mom,” he said in a soft, calm voice, “Mom, don’t panic. It’s me, Wayne,” he watched intently for a moment before picking up a terry cloth rag and pouring some water from a cup on the nightstand. He held the rag up to her forehead just as Kiki peeked out of the doorway enough to see her face. Her stomach dropped.


The woman’s skin was purpled, her body seemed stiff. Her skin was tight and her cheekbones were sunken. She had been dead for more than a few hours. She watched as he patted her forehead with the cloth gently, “I know it’s been a few days, but I got everything you needed,”


Kiki clinched her jaw, “Wayne,” she began by getting his attention.
He looked up with a bit of surprise, “Oh yeah. Mom, this is Kiki. She’s here to help you,”
Kiki sighed and shook her head, “Wayne. Touch her skin.” she said plainly.
He looked puzzled, “What?” he said and reach out to touch her cheek before jerking his hand back, “Oh my god!” he stood suddenly, knocking a pile of cloths over, “Kiki, go get some wood from the shed,” he said urgently, and headed out of the room “I’ll get blankets. She’s ice cold, I-”

“Wayne.” she said sternly, arms crossed firmly against her chest, “Listen to me. Look at the colour of her skin, it’s purple. It’s been a while and there’s no bringi-”
He stormed out, refusing to look back into the room, “I don’t care! Go get the wood!” he said with a shaky voice as he pushed into the hallway.


She followed after him, arms still crossed as he grabbed an armful of blankets around the room, “Don’t just stand there you asshole! Do something!” he shoved her out of the way with his shoulder as he ran into the room and then back out again, “You’re so useless! I’ll get it myself…” he headed out the door.
He burst back inside with an equal armful of wood and tossed it beside the hearth. He shoved a good amount into it, surely getting some splinters before scrambling around looking for something to light it with. “Where the fuck...” he said as I crawled around, looking under and inside things around the living room, he looked up with a scorned face, “Help me!” he said desperately.

“Okay,” she walked further into the room and sat on the couch, “She’s gone. She’s been dead awhile,” she measured her next words, “But it doesn’t look like she suffered,”
He stood, seeming to find his own words. His face moved through emotions, shock fading into sadness, into disbelief, into anger, then back to shock, “What do you mean?” he said finally, “How do you know?” there was doubt and bitterness in his voice.
“Remember the part where I’m a biologist? That’s what I do, study dead things. I mean that she didn’t die as most cases of the plague,” she looked down, “Plague deaths are usually violently painful and-”

A loud crash, “Shut up!” Kiki looks back up to see a clay pot on the floor in several chunks. “This is all your fault, anyway! If you hadn’t slowed me down I would have been here way earlier. It’s all because of your stupid, fake story. I can’t believe I fell for that, and now look!” he stomped his way over to her. With each word he came closer, louder, and angrier, “You said you’d help my mom! Well, how are you going to help her now?!”
Kiki kept a steely glare as she felt spittle hit her face. She opened her mouth again, “It’s been more than four h-”
“How do you know?!” he practically exploded at her, his face bright red. “Get out of my fucking house! This is all your fault!” he pointed toward the door and she stood coolly.
“One last-”
“No! No last [i]anything![/i]” he pointed more furiously, “I don’t ever want to see you again, you heartless bitch! Go away and never come back!” his entire body quaked. A few tense, silent moments passed. Kiki nodded then headed toward the door.

“Apologies for your loss,” she said on her way through the hall. He seemed to share more violently, picking up a vase filled with wilted wildflowers.
“[b]Out![/b]” he shouted as she made her way through the doorway, glass shattering on the wall beside the door. Kiki couldn’t help but hear the wails coming from that powder blue house as she made her way back down that gravely road.


She remembered seeing a small town on their way down to his house. She wondered if it would be safe to venture into it or would it be better to venture away from it. She looked down the road past Wayne’s house and saw smoke. It was quite a distance away, but it seemed to be some sort of forest fire as there was a large volume of smoke. She was no firefighter, and the victims (if any) would probably be crispy by the time she arrived, so she opted for the town.