The Invasion

24 | A Midnight Talk

Once dressed in warm clothes, I step out of the shower just as Zarius leaps up from the bed where he was sitting. I forget that his tall, muscular figure takes up most of the space here, which is why when his head hits the ceiling with a loud bang and the RV rocks once, the noise startles me badly.

"Zarius!" I stare wide-eyed at him. I don't know whether to laugh or worry. "Is your head alright?! You almost put a hole through the roof!"

He's bent over slightly, tilting his head to look at the dent he has made in the roof. "I'm perfectly fine. I did not even feel anything."

Laughing, I suggest. "Maybe you should sit before you end up putting an actual hole in the roof."

He nods, agreeing with me, and sits back on the edge of the bed. My stomach is growling. I pull out an energy bar and munch on it. At the same time, I'm rummaging through cabinets and the fridge in search of food. There's a camper lantern hanging right by the door, and I switch it on. Who would have left this van behind instead of driving away with it? But then again, the electricity is out, so maybe this thing can't run at all. I'll have to figure it out later.

At least there's some food. Speaking of this, something else perturbs me. "Zarius, I haven't seen you eat before. What do you normally eat?"

He watches in mild curiosity as I pull out cans of beans, soups, crackers and a box of cereal. "Fruits and sea vegetables," he mumbles. "We only need to eat once a week."

I grimace. That doesn't sound appetizing to me at all. "What's the longest you have gone by without eating?"

"A fortnight, at most."

"And when was the last time you ate?"

"It was before I surfaced," he answer quietly. "About six days ago?"

This doesn't sound good. Some of the perishable food, like tomatoes and bananas that I've found, are already giving off a rotten smell. In the fridge, there are a couple of milk packets, but they've expired. The last thing I need is getting diarrhea in this apocalypse. "Honestly, I was expecting you guys to eat something tastier. Like salmon sushi nicely placed on a plate, but I would suppose that's not happening if merfolks are allergic to seafood."

His brows pull together into a frown. "What's a so-sheet?"

"Sushi. It's...a piece of fresh salmon on top of a roll of rice with seaweed wrapped around it?"

At my gibberish, he gives me his best judgmental look but I wave it away. "Ah yes!" I bring out all the raw potatoes that I can find and place them in a basket. "Glad we found these. They aren't spoiled yet."

Zarius stands slowly and moves closer to me, crouching so that he's looking over my shoulder. He looks so uncomfortable and claustrophobic in this space that I feel sorry for him. "And what's next?"

His breath tickles the side of my face. When he's this close, my heart skips a beat and flutters madly. "And we roast them," I explain. "But we need to build a fire. You have never tried potatoes before, haven't you?"

As Zarius shakes his head, I gather the items; a portable fire pit, charcoal and metal tongs. I wrap the potatoes in some foil that I find stashed in the back of a kitchen drawer. If I'm able to feed a merman, I better do it right. I've to blow his mind away and show him that human food tastes better than any sea vegetables.

But there's one problem.

I can't cook inside the van without blowing it up.

"Zarius." I blink once, hesitant. "Is it safe to go out? You said the monsters aren't around?"