The past hours had been spent working to make her sleeping space as livable as possible, which was actually a lot more involved than it seemingly should have been.   After a few years of the bedroom she'd chosen being uninhabited and exposed to the weather coming into the rest of the house, the cleanup was heavy duty.   They had tossed out most of the molded and rotted clothing, linens, and books, and had dragged the mattress out into the sunshine to air dry, which would hopefully take care of the dampness, and had managed to get the window pried open to let in some fresh air.   They had swept and scrubbed the floors and walls, cleaned up what salvageable pieces of furniture there were, taking all the broken bits down into the basement to be kept as firewood, rounded up all the blankets and sheets that still had some life to give, and even scrubbed down the bathroom, which at least made it seem as if the house had some sort of modern convenience.

Out of all those end of the world movies and books that had been around before the sickness had started, none of them seemed to give much thought to the everyday functions, like using the bathroom. When the world collapses, even relieving oneself could become just as big of a life and death issue as avoiding the undead hordes. 

As it stood, even though she would have given almost anything to be able to have a functioning toilet, at least she could have four walls surrounding her when she used one of the buckets set aside for that purpose, so she counted herself incredibly lucky.

Rainee, letting out a sigh at the thought of those beautiful bygone days, turned her focus back to polishing the mirror over the sink, trying not to pay overly much attention to the reflection staring back at her. She didn't spend a whole lot of time in front of the mirror because there were more important things to deal with. Frankly, just being able to wash up was a luxury because the basics, like soap and shampoo, were to be used sparingly, so who wanted to look at themselves after not having washed their hair, or much of anything else, in a few days? She certainly didn't. But, she gave herself a perfunctory glance as she worked, suddenly realizing there was no need to grimace the way she usually did when she saw herself.

After a month in the sanctuary, she had fattened up a bit, so she didn't look so thin and gaunt as she had before. Her cheeks had filled out and her tanned skin even had somewhat of a lively glow about it, which of course seemed to make her millions of freckles stand out even more. During that fleeting glance, she acknowledged how much she looked like a perfect mix of her mom and dad. She had her mother's high cheekbones, sharp chin, and pert nose, but she had her dad's full mouth that always seemed to be turned downwards in a slightly worried frown. She had large eyes that were a shade somewhere between her mother's bright blue and her father's brooding grey, depending on the lighting.  She had her mom's raven black hair...at least as far as the color went.  Her mom's hair was a flowing curtain of nearly perfect natural curls, while her own hair was usually a frizzy, unmanageable tangle that she had to keep tied back simply because there was nothing else to do with it. She'd inherited her mother's small stature and slight frame, though she had not been blessed with a single one of her womanly curves.  And, of course, she'd been...gifted...with her dad's crop of freckles, only times ten, which sometimes she kind of resented him for.  But, only sometimes.

All in all, she was kind of unique looking, she thought. Especially now, with the small black cross etched onto her forehead, marking her as a carrier. She wasn't the most beautiful girl on earth, but she wasn't one of the most unattractive, either, so she refused to dwell on what her new partner thought of her. She came from good, sturdy stock and she would bear good, sturdy children and that should count for more than having a perfect complexion or enormous breasts. And on that subject, most women still walking around with enormous breasts despite being underfed, were the ones who had augmented themselves with silicone in the years before everything had collapsed. So, at least in the years that were coming, she would still look fairly good while those other women...well, who knew what they would wind up looking like when their fake parts started to fail and there were no plastic surgeons around to repair them.

Feeling somewhat better about herself right then, Rainee finished up polishing the mirror and tossed the rag into the plastic bucket with other soiled pieces of cloth, picked up the bucket and cardboard box of usable cleaning supplies she'd scrounged up from around the house, and headed out of the bathroom. She walked through her bedroom, which now held a bedframe, dresser, night table, and a wooden rocking chair. There were a few knick-knacks that hadn't been broken and she'd placed those around, but she'd taken the pictures from the frames and tossed them out without really looking at them. Having to see whose home she was taking over left her with a pit in her stomach, so she tried to avoid it. 

All told, the room was now serviceable and once the mattress came back in and her things had been put away, she thought she'd be fairly comfortable there, even though it wasn't exactly home.

Leaving the bedroom, Rainee made her way down the hall, passing by the other three bedrooms that were all still upended, including the room that Elias had chosen to stay in. There were still days and days of work ahead of them just to bring the house up to livable, but she didn't mind. It was good to have something to do, something to keep her busy. She'd just spent a full month doing nothing but sitting around, eating, sleeping, and doing crossword puzzles from some old magazines she'd found stashed about the house that was being used as an infirmary. Being able to move around and feel productive was a nice change of pace for her.

Down the stairs, she hit the foyer and headed down the hallway toward the kitchen, the distinct smell of smoke tickling her nose. She hurried into the room and dropped her bucket and supplies by the sink, glancing out the window into the backyard and finding that Elias had quite a blaze going, but it wasn't the sizable pyre reaching toward the sky that caught her gaze, it was the figure standing nearby.

Looking at Elias Stone, who had his hands in his back pockets and his handsome face turned toward the sky, she couldn't help but feel her stomach do a little flip inside her. She was fully aware of the dire circumstances they were all facing, she knew what serious business she was being asked to undertake, and the last thing she wanted to do was have shallow and superficial thoughts and feelings, but she couldn't quite stop herself. She had been paired up with a man who was so...ruggedly handsome...that it made something inside her ache just looking at him. 

 Elias Stone was painfully good looking. And as inappropriate as it might have been, she was not upset that she'd been paired with him. If nothing else, at least she would have something stunning to look at. Well, if he didn't decide to ask for a new partner because he couldn't stomach her plank-like figure and blemish daubed face.....

A sudden, horrific thought wafted through her mind and she felt her limbs go numb with the dread of it. She was thin and straight and plank-like. She had a face full of gruesome markings and hair that made it look like a bird's nest had swallowed her head. She was not, by any stretch of the imagination, anywhere close to Elias Stone when it came to outward appearances. So, what if...owing to the fact that he was most likely not physically attracted to her...he could not bring himself to...perform? Didn't a man have to feel some form of attraction for the woman he was...mating with? 

Oh god, how humiliating would it be for her if the man she'd been paired with was rendered...incapable...by the mere sight of her?

Thinking on that for a moment...maybe she would take him up on his offer to wait, just for a little while. Just until...until what? She grew bigger breasts and shed the gruesome markings that practically disfigured her? If she was waiting for those things to happen, she'd be waiting forever. And no one could afford for a participant in the breeding program to dig her heels in and wait until she was prettier before trying to procreate.

Elias suddenly turned toward the kitchen window and when his gaze landed on her, she flinched as if she'd been shot, heat instantly flooding her face. Dammit! She'd been caught gawking at him like some sort of rube! And she was too frozen to even look away and pretend she'd been doing something else!

"Come on out!" Elias called to her, his deep voice carrying through the open back door.

Rainee let out a deep sigh.  Dammit.

"Come on, Rainee! I won't bite!" Elias called again, waving her out to him.

Letting out another sigh, she moved away from the sink and toward the backdoor. She'd made a fool of herself. She might as well face it. With her cheeks throbbing so hard she thought she could actually see the movement, she stepped out into the fading sunshine, finding that the heat of the day was beginning to dissipate somewhat.

"Hey, are you okay?" he questioned as she made her way over to him.

He had come out of his over shirt and was standing there in his shirt sleeves, allowing her to take in his large biceps and the thick, prominent veins snaking along beneath the tanned skin of his forearms. Something about those veins made her heart skip several quick beats.

"You're flushed," Elias pointed out, his green eyes studying her. "Are you overheated? Do you need some water?"

His words only deepened the warmth in her cheeks. "No. I-I'm good," she croaked out, trying to keep her eyes on his face instead of...all the rest of him, but it was incredibly difficult. He was so tall and broad and muscular. And those forearms! The veins alone were enough to send her thoughts scattering and her pulse to racing.

"No, you're not good," he stated, his brows drawing together so that the cross on his forehead shifted and danced. He reached out and took hold of her upper arm, pulling her along toward the knee high stone wall a few feet away and urging her to sit down. "Rest here. I'll grab you a drink."

Elias spun and hurried across the yard, quickly disappearing into the shadows of the house and by-passing the cluster of bright blue water barrels by the back door. He was going straight for the bottled water that had been left for them.

Left alone, Rainee let herself relax. Good grief, why on earth was she acting like some kind of drooling boob? She had seen attractive men before. Granted, not quite as attractive as Elias Stone, but still, she had no reason to lose her mind! She was a grown woman who was about to contribute her body to help save the human race. She should carry herself a bit better.

Trying to pull herself together, she brought her attention around to the backyard of her new home, taking in the over grown trees and nearly dead grass, the high wooden privacy fence that was leaning heavily backward in some places, the stone patio that spread out along the back of the house and was surrounded by a low stone wall.  There was a small stone fireplace in the far corner, as well as a huge fire pit in the center, which was currently in use. 

The yard had probably once been someone's pride and joy and countless barbecues and Fourth of July celebrations had taken place there. Now, it had fallen into the same state of disrepair as everything else, but it was still serviceable. The fireplace could still be put to good use and the fire pit would be a nice way to roast leftover summer vegetables or the occasional squirrel or rabbit that might happen by. And of course, the pit could be used to safely start a fire and dispose of waste without the worry of burning the house, and possibly the entire neighborhood, to the ground. Fires were a beneficial staple, but these days there were no water hoses to keep things under control and certainly no fire department to call if things happened to get out of hand. One stray spark or ember landing in the wrong place and...life could be changed once again for everyone living in the compound.  

She listened to the steady cracking and hissing of the flames as they consumed the useless rubbish from the bedroom, feeling the heat sparking across her skin...and nerves skittering through her belly as she hoped that the wind didn't pick up and cause something unfortunate to happen. She had enough on her shoulders without having to bear the weight of desecrating the homes and lives of nearly fifteen thousand people.

A flicker of movement brought her attention away from the high flames and she found Elias coming out of the house, a bottle of water in one hand and a rag in the other. He stopped at one of the blue barrels and opened the spigot at the bottom so that he could wet the cloth before hurrying on toward her.

"Here you go. This'll help you feel better," Elias said, dropping down beside her and twisting the cap off the water before handing it to her.

She took it with a slightly unsteady hand, thinking that a sip of water would be nice, but it would not help whatever was going on with her. "Thank you, but you didn't have to bother. I'm okay," she told him, fully realizing that she was acting like a total idiot.

"Well, I'll feel better if you drink something and cool down for a bit," Elias stated, his large eyes shadowed with worry as he watched her intently. "You've worked for hours non-stop." He carefully folded up the rag and placed it on the back of her neck, the sudden coolness bringing a little gasp out of her.

Rainee felt foolish, and almost as if she was deceiving him somehow, even though she was telling him that she was fine. All the same, having a bottle of fresh water that hadn't been treated with water purification tablets was a nice luxury. The tablets worked and the water was safe to drink, with no worrying about getting dysentery, typhoid, or cryptosporidium, and the added chlorine tablets ended any and all Naegleria Fowleri that might be hiding there, but all the additives made the water taste about as appetizing as drinking bitter swimming pool water.

"It's okay. We have extra rations. Having a bottle of water won't bring the world to an end," Elias said, sounding only half serious.

She nodded and actually found herself awash with guilt at the prospect of wasting a bottle when there was plenty of treated water only a few feet away.

"Go ahead, Rainee. Things are little better here. We have a little more, so we can drink an extra bottle now and then," Elias said by way of comforting her.

She knew that was the truth, but after years of doing without and sparing every single drop, it was hard just to do something as simple as taking an extra bottle of water knowing it might be needed somewhere down the road. Fresh, clean water was more precious than gold had ever been. It was horded and coveted and out in the compound it was used as a form of currency. If you had a few bottles, you could get almost anything you wanted, from extra batteries for your CD player, to extra rations, to a baggie of ice cubes from an inventive neighbor who had a working fridge.

But, the fair market value of a bottle of water aside, supply deliveries were never guaranteed. Bad weather could halt a delivery drop off, a convoy could run into bandits, or Nefers—otherwise known as the walking corpses infected with Naegleria Fowleri—or the other countries that the camps and compounds relied on for aide could be having troubles of their own, which meant they wouldn't be too worried about sending help overseas. No supplies for weeks on end meant people had to make do with what they had and if they had nothing saved up, chaos was almost guaranteed. So, every scrap of food, bottle of water, propane tank, matchstick, bar of soap, and drop of toothpaste was carefully allotted and used only when necessary.

"Go on. I promise, it'll be alright," Elias soothed and Rainee finally lifted the bottle to her lips. It had already been opened anyway...

She took a long drink of the liquid that tasted like water should, letting out a little sigh. Even though it was as warm as the day outside, it was still like drinking nectar. She'd been given more than her fair share of bottles over the past month, but she'd only accepted a couple of them. Instead, she'd stuck with the treated stuff trucked in from the river. It might not taste very good, but a girl could drink all she wanted without her conscience prickling at her.

"Drink up," Elias insisted, running the cool cloth over her bare shoulder and down her arm, stopping to press it against the inside of her wrist. "When you're feeling better I'll get you some food."

She actually wasn't hungry thanks to the case of nerves setting in, but she'd try to eat something. Skipping meals was never wise when rations were available. Strength and health needed to be maintained, especially when the next meal was never a sure thing.

"How's your room coming? Do you need me to help with anything else?" he questioned, running the cloth back along her arm and up to her neck.

"Everything's good. I just have to unpack my stuff and I'll be set," she told him, taking another sip of water just so she could have something to focus on besides him looming there, so close to her she could see the individual whiskers shadowing his jaw.

"Your mattress should probably be ready by sunset, so you should be comfortable enough to get some rest tonight."

Rainee swallowed her water, trying not to choke on it. "Uh, wh-where will you sleep?" she hedged, forcing herself to meet his gaze because she didn't want to seem like a shy, scared little girl.

"I can sleep anywhere, so don't worry about me. I'll find a spot for tonight and you can have some time to get settled in," he said in a kind tone that she knew was sincere, but still she thought her freckles might have something to do with his choice.

What man would rather sleep in some dirty room, on a rotten mattress, than sleep in a comfortable bed with a woman who was willing to give herself to him, no arguments, no questions asked? 

 A man who was repulsed by the sight of the person he would be sleeping with, that's who...

She felt heat again sweeping over her cheeks. Perfect. She had been paired with a man who couldn't bring himself to even share the same bed with her. Well, this was going to be so much worse than she'd been imagining. Maybe she should have been hoping for that thirteen year old boy, after all. He might not have been so picky.

Watching her, Elias' brows drew together, making the mark on his forehead shift. "You're blushing," he pointed out, his coarse tone softening around the edges and making Rainee's stomach clench a little. "I've never met anyone who could blush."

Hearing that seemed to make her blush even harder and she suddenly wished a hole would open up beneath her and swallow her down. Did everything about her repulse him?

A small, gruff chuckle came out of Elias' throat, almost startling Rainee. This ruggedly handsome, capable looking man didn't seem like the type to laugh. Ever. He seemed more the type who stood around, brooding and worrying and figuring out how to get things done.

"I don't mean it as a bad thing," he told her, again running the cloth along her shoulder and down her arm. "It's actually nice, finding someone who still has...a soul inside them."

Rainee felt her own brows draw together. "I think most people still have their souls."

"People used to have souls. Now, they mostly just have a lot of...hardness and anger," he shrugged. "The people I know couldn't blush even if they tried."

She didn't know how to respond to that, though she did understand the sentiment.  The world had fallen apart and the fifteen thousand people in their neck of the woods had walled themselves into a section of city that was two and a half miles long by about four miles wide, so times were rather lean.  Hardness and tough choices were just a part of living now.  As was anger...  But, there were still people who'd managed to hang onto their souls.  She herself knew a few.

"Anyway, why don't I finish burning the trash and you sit here and rest? When I'm done, we'll eat and I'll help you finish getting your room ready for tonight," he suggested and Rainee nodded her agreement, offering him the bottle. Ordinarily she wouldn't drink after another person she wasn't related to, but she was eventually going to be sharing her entire body with him...in theory...so what was a little saliva? "Thanks," he grinned, taking the bottle and helping himself to a long swig that drained half the contents. Handing the bottle back to her, he draped the cloth over the back of her neck and got to his feet, sauntering over to where the flames were hissing and cracking.

Rainee watched as he began picking up what was left of the ruined clothes they'd dragged out and tossed them onto the fire, sending up a plume of smoke and sparks that made her flinch. As he worked, she couldn't help but stare at him, taking in the way he carried himself with all the grace and surety of a predator, his muscles bunching and coiling even with the simplest movement. He stayed so focused on the task at hand that his features almost seemed as if they were set in stone, which made him even more handsome, if that was possible.

Just looking at him seemed to raise her body temperature by a few incredibly uncomfortable degrees, which put even more heat into her cheeks, which made her even more aware of the stark contrast between them. Standing in the blazing sun, next to a flaming pyre, Elias Stone looked like a perfectly carved statue. Almost, she thought if she walked over and put her hand on him, he would feel as cool to the touch. As for her, she undoubtedly looked like a red faced, dirt smeared, damp and sweaty wildebeest. And after working all afternoon, she probably smelled about as a fresh.

Well, she didn't really blame Elias Stone for wanting to have nothing to do with her. But, this was the lot he'd been given, so he either learned to deal with or they failed to do their part to help save humanity. He probably shouldn't be so choosy, anyway. They were dealing with an end of the world scenario here. All the hot lingerie models had probably died out at the get-go just because they were too busy trying to pick out what shoes to wear when they should have been running for their lives.

Feeling inexplicably...depressed...Rainee rose to her feet and headed across the yard toward the house, taking a long sip of her water as she went. She felt as if she could use a bit of fortification, so she upended her bottle and swallowed the rest of it down. She had things to accomplish, despite the fact that her mate didn't want to...mate...with her. She still needed to try and get her new home up to livable standards because, now that she thought about it, if Elias refused to breed with her then she would eventually be given a new mate who would be willing to go through with it, despite her frizzy hair and freckles, and at least she could offer that man a clean and ready home.

After all, two breeders who weren't breeding was a waste of time, so at her next visit with the physician, he would probably see to it that the matter was sorted out.

Feeling as if at least something had been settled, she stepped back through the kitchen door and pointed herself toward her sleeping space. She would unpack her things and settle in and Elias Stone could have fun sleeping on the floor in a filthy, moldy room barely fit to house the cockroaches and the rats. She hoped he'd be comfortable.