Consumption

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Amber had been watching people come and go through the middle of the town and listening to the sounds of vendors as they attempted to sell their wares, for the most part seeing nothing too remarkable. She was near enough turning round and heading home when a familiar face emerged from one of the elevators. A grin spread slowly across her face and she set off in pursuit of him, not too worried about losing him in the crowds. She could guess where he was going from his general direction.

Sure enough, as they wound through the streets, he headed towards Twilights Bane. "Oi, Shinji, wait up!" She yelled after him as he neared the door - there was one thing she didn't like about that place, and it was finding someone after they had sat down. Too many people staring at you while you wandered round aimlessly. It was easier to meet outside rather than inside. Not even bothering to check his reaction, she sprinted the distance between them. Upon reaching him she caught his arm to bring herself to a stop and hauled him into a tight, if slightly off-balance hug.

"What were you doing out?" She smiled at him and linked arms with him, knocking the door open with her foot.
 
"I got farm work to do, otherwise I would." Said Cam in response to Shinji about going to a near by cafe. He exchanged his information, via pencil and paper, with the others and left. It was funny what a little change in environment could for a person. The second he stepped out into the warm mid afternoon sun, he felt the last bit of doubt that had been stuck in him like a tick, vanish. He squinted up into the blue sky and smiled. Everything seemed to have a crisp, clean look to it; Polished and new. And for once, Cam was actually happy to be going home for his afternoon chores.

As soon as he rounded the corner and the farm came into view, Cam spotted his father sitting on the front pouch having a beer. His moderate gut was hanging over his Steele belt buckle, covered by a while undershirt. He was hunched in an unusual position that would suggest that he was in pain.

"Your back again?" Said Cam sitting down next to his dad

"Yep. Not so bad this morning, but I went to start the water and must of pulled something. I think we're gonna have to get those old pipes replaced soon" Said John Green, rubbing his lower back. It was obvious that this was going to be a life long affliction for him and Cam knew that it killed his father to be laid up like this, so he played along

"Yeah, must have been. Well I'm gonna get my boots on and finish up with the chores then."

"Alright, son. Suppers gonna be at six. Roast chicken and mashed potatos tonight."

"Sounds good, Pop" And with that Cam headed into the house to change.
 
"I would go but I have some things to do." She side politely as she wrote her information out and handed it to all the men.

After that she waved a quick good bye and headed out the door. She had to get back to her apartment and get some things done before she could relax for the rest of the day. She hopped into an available elevator and headed back up to the city, a little bit chipper now that she was done with the injection. She headed back to her apartment, the building a little worse for wear on the outside. She climbed up a few flights of stairs before she pulled out her key and unlocked her door.

She wandered in and closed the door behind her, tossing her keys onto a small table and hanging her coat back up in the closet. She wandered back into her apartment and into the kitchen, the room slightly messy. In truth she really didn't have anything to do but she still wasn't feeling completely well and needed her rest. She grabbed an apple and took it with her to her room, the place rather clean and neat. She was getting sick more often now that she was living alone, she wasn't being babied and constantly having medication down her throat. At this rate she wouldn't be able to take care of herself properly and would have to move back home. She sighed a bit before she set her half eaten apple to the side, knocking something off her her bed side table in the process.

She looked down and grabbed the piece of paper gently before reading it. It was a flier about assistant living, something that usually old people would have. However, her mother thought that she could take advantage of it as well, since she slipped into nasty sickness every now and then. Harper would rather not live with a lot of old people but someone to help keep things in order sounded nice. She was pretty clean herself but when ever she got sick things usually slipped a bit. She glanced over at her phone for a moment before she shuffled through her bedside table drawer and flipped through a phone book. She looked at one of the pages for a moment before dialing on the phone. A soft ringing filled her ears until someone answered on the other end.

"Hello? Is this The Sunday Commune?...Yeah, I'd like to place a help wanted ad in your paper..."
 
The little sickly one wanted to exchange contact information. Jerry did not oppose this idea and pulled a pad of paper from his pocket and also a pen while Shinji got the paper from a clip board. Jerry exchanged numbers with the other two, not with Shinji because he left already, having some business to take care of. Jerry silently refused the open invitation to join him. "The first number is for my home and second is for my cell." He pocketed the numbers and headed out with them, taking the elevator this time.

Jerry made his way to his parent's house, which was really an apartment. He knocked on the door and a minute later his short mother opened the door with a smile "Hey son." "Hey mom" Jerry said as he stepped inside "Stopping by for a quick visit and a nap on your couch." She laughed a little "That's fine" she said as they walked to the kitchen and Jerry sat down in a chair by the dining table. He told his mom about how the drug thing went, which was pretty smooth, while she went about bringing stuff out to cook. A couple of kids whizzed by toward the living room. "Hey no running in the house!" Jerry called at them. Couple seconds later, two kids aging at 6 and 8 ran back at the sound of his voice. "Hi Jerry!" "Hey Jerry!" Donnie and Megan, couple of neighbor kids his mom watched occasionally, back Alaska. "Hey kids" he said, ruffling both their heads at the same time. They squealed and shouted and ran back through the living room to the play room. "Mom I'm going to take a nap" Jerry said, getting up from the chair and walking into the living room with it's couches. "Okay son" she said back to him "Don't be loud, Jerry is trying to sleep!" she called at the kids in the back. Jerry allowed himself to fall onto the couch and drift into a short yet recuperative sleep.
 
The former college student was so relaxed under the sun, she hadn't heard the soft rustling of the grass, a protesting cat yowl, or the sudden shade. Things seemed so much easier through her nap, and it was almost as if she could see all the answers to her problems....

Ryan shushed Bee by patting the tabby on the head and stroking its fur. The cat squirmed some more before giving up and lounging in the little boy's lap. It was very sunny and bright today, and the 10-year-old couldn't ask for a better time than now to present to his older sister a new proposition about their predicament. For some reason, she always thought he didn't realize just how much they were in a bind, but he did. The smaller meals, on and off cable, electricity going out nearly every month, large stacks of menacing looking envelopes on her bedroom dresser---it was a lot more obvious to him than Kat realized. She had always tried hiding the truth from him, and while it worked sometimes, other times it failed miserably. It was annoying how protective his sister was of him, but it only showed how much she cared about him. Ryan put down the stray (that gladly complied and ran off in the opposite direction), and laid down beside Kat who was still half asleep in her day dream. The sun really was beautiful today, and catching a glimpse of Mr. Jacobs across the street, he rose again to wave at him only to bump into his sister's arm, followed by a yell and bucked open eyes.

"Oh! Oh....Ryan! What are you doing awake? I just put you up to your bed not just---Oh, wow! It's been 2 hours?! Grief! Maybe I should've been taking breaks more often....," she said in a shaky breath.

Ryan made a small smile at her before signing back, "....It's not healthy for your skin to lie out in the sun for a long time without sunscreen. Tired?"

Kat laughed, "You know it! Actually, I didn't think I'd go to sleep at all. Speaking of which, there's something really important I have to tell----"

"HOUSE SITTING! I want to tell you about my new idea for us! Remember my sitter I used to have before Mom got really sick, and needed one for herself?"

The smile crept off of the young woman's face as her brother oh-so-casually touched on their deceased mother. She knew he hadn't meant it that way, but how could he have said it like that as if she didn't matter at all? She had passed away when he was only 6 years old, and since she was always bed ridden, he hadn't known her too well. She tried to overlook his indifference and responded, "Yes, I remember. Abigail. But I don't see---"

"You could house sit and things like that! Or you could....do the serum testing they have for the swarm? I" he looked to her hopefully as he had been for the past few weeks. As usual, he had been using the previous topic as a front to get away with that testing bribe as if she would actually agree. Kat sighed frustratingly and looked at her little brother shaking her head. Why did he do this every time? "No! Besides, I think it's all over with, anyway! Look, I have to tell you that I quit my jobs and school and that we'll have to be leaving very soon! I'm worn out, and with this swarm on top of it all, it's not making things any---- oh, DANG! I forgot about your Speech test and the doctor's appointment for you disablilty next month!" Just when she thought she was relaxed enough to think straight, she had forgotten all about his appointments that he absolutely needed. Another problem. How was she going to be able to pay for it now that she quit both her jobs? The money she had saved up was going to be needed for plane tickets, and she was already up to her shoulders in loans.

"Maybe if you run really fast, you can still sign up for the serum."
 
Time passed.

Cam barely noticed as the days flew by. Besides catering to his dad, whos back had gotten progressively worse and more painful, he had been extra busy on the farm. More than a few days a week he worked from dawn til dusk, barely even stopping for breaks. The corn harvest was on first on the list of priorities, but the churning of the west field and the water pipe issue were a close second. It was important, now more than ever, that he was diligent and showed his father that he could handle it on his own. All the extra work, combined with no rest, had made cam and very dull, and tired boy. He would often drift while working and have to catch himself before making time consuming mistakes.

One morning, just before dawn, Cam's eyes snapped wide open. For once he felt rested, rejuvenated and full of strength. His hand slapped the top of his Sony alarm clock before it even rang and he noticed something. While looking at his out stretched arm he saw mass and definition that had not been there before. Veins popped out of a bulging bicep and his forearms looked like popeyes after a can of spinach. He got out of bed , although it was more like jumped out. Had he had Actually jumped, from a laying position!? Yes he had! Using his legs and buttock like a freaking catapult, he actually vaulted out of bed! He was still in amazement as he almost fell over, but caught himself at the last minute on one foot. Cat like reflexes along with extra strenght? Cam attributed it to the fact that he had been working so much, it was just his bodies way of saying good job. However, while in the shower that morning something cam to him; The testing. Could it have something to do with this? If so, these were side effects that Cam did NOT expect. He wasn't worried, but at the same time he was a little nervous. If these changes were due to the serum...what would happen on the flip side? He pushed the thought from his mind and went down stairs for breakfast.

His dad was cooking omelets and bacon. The delicious smell seemed to penetrate and consume. Cam could never remember it smelling so good. He sat down as his father hobbled over, cursing his back under his breath, plating up some bacon for Cam. Looking at his fathers loving face reminded Cam of happier days. The way his eyes lit up when ever Cam came into the room, his smile after a decent harvest. The way he sipped his coffee and read his paper in the morning. Despite the swarm, John Green maintained a positive out look on life. Cam respected him greatly for that.
 
Harper woke up slightly dazed, her body aching and sore for no reason at all. She was used to pain in the morning, that was what came with constantly being sick. She groaned and sat up slowly for a moment, still tired and out of it. Suddenly her phone rang and she jumped from the bed...Yes, she jumped right out of bed and even landed on her feet like a cat. She panted lightly as she realized that it was just someone calling her and she quickly darted over to the phone to answer it. In the end it was a telemarketer but she couldn't help but wonder how she did that now that she was wide awake. Usually it was a chore to get out of bed and get ready for the day, some times it took hours depending on how much her muscles hurt. On top of that she could have sworn that she had gotten at least five feet into the air! As she glanced from her bed to the spot she landed, nearly four feet away, a thought came to her head...

The testing!

It would make sense that there would be some symptoms to it but that certainly wasn't one she would have expected. It had also been a few days so the drug had plenty of time to weed its way into her system. She moved to her bathroom and decided to give one of the other test subjects a call, certainly she wasn't the only one having a symptom like this...She washed up and dried herself off, in the process taking note that she had some simple muscle now, before slipping on her under garment and a long sleeved shirt. Over that she pulled on a long black cotton jumper and headed into her kitchen. She fixed herself up a small cup of broth and looked at the phone as she drank quietly.

It had been a few days since she made the ad as well, she hoped someone would answer it soon. She was feeling another case of the flu coming on. Even with a new found strength she was still so easily taken out by sickness, the thought making her frown a bit. She shook her head a bit and walked over to the phone, picking it up and looking at the numbers that she had written on a list near the phone. She decided to call the Farmer man first, Cam is name was, he'd probably be up this early if he did work the fields.
 
Jerry was sitting in a quite room. There were bookshelves loaded with books, a couple of nice couches and a leather chair in front of a fire place. He got up and went over to the book shelf, scanned the books until he found one that seemed interesting. He took it with him to sit on the leather chair in front of the fire. The book was full of knowledge that made his brain happy, this was information he could apply in everyday use, to help improve methods of fixes pipes or wiring wires the poss-CLANG. Jerry paused in his knowledge orgasm and looked up. There was an iron coat rack next to the door, it had fallen and was now laying on the ground. Jerry stared at the coat rack, it started shaking. He heard it tap against the wooden floor. Next the legs of the couches were rattling against the floor and Jerry could feel the vibrations through his chair coming from the floor. Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump-CRASH. The door was blown open and a writhing black mass pushes itself against the door frame, unable to get it's entire bulk into the room. Tendrils started pouring into the room like sludgy oil, oozing in on the floor, ceiling, and walls. Jerry watched with horror as the thing roared without a mouth and the tendrils swallowed him up.

Jerry's eyes opened. He sat up and looked around his room. It was his room, metal walls and floor, pipes going across the ceiling and the environment was inevitably chill. He exhaled and rubbed his face to wake himself up. He threw his blankets off and started lifting himself out of bed when he noticed something odd. He could support himself with ease using only his hands. "..." Jerry lifted himself out of bed and planted his feet on the ground (he covered the floor with rugs). He flexed his muscles and breathed in deeply. Definitely something different. What ever he had to get to work.

After getting showered and dressed Jerry headed out to the tunnels. Walking down a slope he head for the semi-darkness of the subterranean tunnel. He had pulled out his flashlight but as he progressed deeper into the dark tunnel he realized he didn't need it and slid it back into his belt.

Jerry was fixing a bent pipe, he was taking it off and replacing it with another. He paused while starting to remove a bolt with his wrench. Wrapping his fingers around the nut he twisted two times and it was off. An idea occurred to Jerry, and he bent the pipe back into place with his bare hands. That's it, it was time to call some one. Jerry flipped open his phone and stared at the three numbers of the other test subjects. He pushed a button and listened to the phone dialing the number and then waited through the dialing tone for them to answer.
 
Shinji had awoke from bed as usual but something had been different. The once dim lighting had now seemed bright and new, but he had known that he never replaced the lighting. His body had seemed delightfully refreshed even though he had been drinking just a bit more than usual. He had been catching up with his friend a lot more lately. It was good to see friends and take a break once in a while and she had helped him out. During his moment of distraction he managed to trip over his shoes and hurtled towards his kitchen table, as if on instinct his arms shot out and caught him before his skull split open, the scary thing was that he caught himself with only a finger on each hand and then proceeded to lift himself back on his feet.

As he stood back up he could hear his phone vibrating in the other room, wait hear it vibrating? In the other room? Something had been off today and he couldn't quite place what t was yet. Either way he went to grab his phone and picked it up to hear Jerry's voice on the other side. "Hey Jerry how's it going? Yea i have noticed a few changes as well. It feels like i'm stronger in every way but i don't like it really, its like im full of a strange energy that's going to burst out unless i do something. Maybe it's just my imagination and all but i believe i'm going to hide this from the others for now. Please don't tell anyone that i noticed alright? I'd rather not make a scene if possible, i'll keep talking though, i just wanna try and hide it for now i guess. Y'know? Stay normal even though i know i'm not anymore. Well i gotta head out now i had plans to meet up with someone. Catch ya later bud."

With that Shinji hung up his phone and placed it in his pocket before heading out the door. He was supposed to meet up with Amber at a nice restaurant for breakfast and then they were going to go shopping, after all he had some extra money to spend so it would be nice to get some new clothes and maybe some fresh food. As he closed the door and locked the house door he began to jog towards his meeting place and realized that his jogging was more like he used to sprint, he quickly noticed and suppressed his speed to slow himself down and was thankful that no one else had seemed to notice. His muscles had been burning with the feel of adrenaline and were throbbing every second with a new found strength.
 
Screaming and shouting greeted Amber once again as she awoke, this time a lot closer to her room. She poked her head round the door, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. Hayley brandished a bottle of shampoo angrily. Danny's expression was somewhere between anger and shame. Richard wandered past, straightening out an uncomfortable looking tie and rolling his eyes at his kid siblings. Amber groaned to herself and returned to her room in the search for clean clothes. More sweats? She needed to look half-decent, that hardly seemed appropriate... She winced. Her wardrobe was severely limited. She supposed she could counter that today, given she was meant to be going shopping. Maybe Shinji was more clued in to fashion than she was and could give her a hand choosing. She wiped the thoughts from her head and hauled out more of her clothes.

In the end, she crashed down the stairs in a set of denim shorts and yet another green tank top, this one only a little too tight. It was one of the few colours in her wardrobe aside from black, went pretty well with her hair. The fight had miraculously stayed upstairs. Amber's father looked very contented with this, actually having the time to kick back at the breakfast table for once. Her brother was eating strangely, hunched over his bowl to avoid spilling anything on his newly-cleaned suit. Amber smirked at the sight before piping up. "I'm going out. Got my mobile cos I dunno how long I'll be. Don't worry bout me too much." Random grunts of acknowledgement sounded as she wandered out of the room and left the house.

She wasn't going to run this morning. Her face could do without being red when she was actually intending on talking to people. It gave the wrong impression entirely. She took her time getting there, given she'd left pretty early. She rounded a corner and a grin spread over her face. She attacked Shinji with a tight hug. "How's my favourite police officer today?" She grinned, a lilt threading into her voice as she spoke. She had never quite managed to get over his job. It made her giggle to imagine him in a police uniform, and she teased him about it rather more than she probably should.
 
Kat searched the newspapers for the next few days frantically. She needed another job and there was no way either of her old ones would accept her back. Ryan had more appointments coming up that she couldn't pay for, and the landlord was already expecting them to be out of the house by the following week having already sold the house to someone else. How could she have been so stupid? This was the first time she had ever forgotten about her brother's medical needs, but it was partly to blame on her overworking herself. They needed to leave before things got worse for them, but the damage was already done, and now she was going to have to figure out a way to stay a little longer till Ryan's tests were done and till she could get enough money to move them out of the Commune. Her brother watched from a distance with his arms folded still mad with her for plotting to make them leave. After half an hour, she just couldn't take it anymore. "Agggh! There's nothing in here! Nothing, nothing, nothing! This place isn't exactly small, so how is it that almost no one is hiring?!" she complained and buried her head in her arms on the coffee table. Ryan responded snidely, "Quit looking. There's nothing in there you'd want to do." He was obviously happy with the setback, and was already counter-plotting ways to get them to stay. She hadn't forgotten about anything. He had erased the appointments off her calendar.

"Ryan, you aren't helping! I need help! Don't you want to have a roof over your head? Don't you want to stay with me? If child services find out you're under the care of a broke, homeless sister they'll take you away for sure!" Kat said unaware of everything but the newspapers. The newsprint began to run into each other as she flipped the pages quickly and the 10-year-old grabbed one of the papers from her hand and began pointing out potentials. "No....No....No....No! See? This is hopeless! And that one is from today!" she replied, "This is all my fault! How could I have done something so outrageous!" Her brother looked at her blankly and listened to her ramble. "I'm sorry.I really am! You have every right to be mad at me. I don't know how I'll straighten things out, but I will! Maybe I should lower my standards. Look for something I don't normally do...." Trailing off she skimmed the newspaper once more as Ryan got up to leave. House sitter needed...Room and boarding included... The ad seemed to scream at her off the page and she desperately needed a job. Plus they were offering a place to stay. Hesitantly, she picked up her cellphone and dialed the number trying to figure out whether or not this was even a good idea.
 
Cam, in a white shirt and blue jeans, leaned up against a fence post on the west end of the field. The top of the towns largest buildings were barely visible about 5 miles to the east, and beyond that? The place where nightmares were real. The place where the swarm ran rampant. Cam wiped sweat from his brow as he thought about the potential fate of the commune. The chance that it would one day be completely overran by the swarm was very probable. Sometimes Cam wondered if any of this was even worth it? Not just the testing of the serum, but everything. Life, work, family; What was the point if they were all just destined to die at the claws of a vicious beast, and the worst part? Cam wasn't even sure he would have what it took to fight the swarm if they ever did make it into the Commune.

"Cam!" His fathers voice called from the back porch. He was holding something up in his hand, Cam assumed it was a phone and called back to his father.

"I'll be right there, pop! Tell them to hold on a sec!"

He grabbed the shovel he had been using, again realizing how much work he had finished in such a short time. It was amazing. At dawn he started digging the irrigation ditch, easily an all day job, but now, at a little after eleven am, he was damn near done. And the damnedest thing about it? He was barely even winded.

Cam ran back towards the house, his feet moving like a rock skipping across water on the soft dirt. He got to the back porch, not even breathing hard, and grabbed the phone.

"Thanks, pop." Cam watched his father hobble back into the house, then answered the phone.

It was Harper, the pretty girl from the testing lab.

" Yes, I have had symptoms." Cam paused, looking to see if his father was near by "I would rather not talk about it here though. How about meeting me downtown in a little while for coffee? I will get ready now and be down there by say, one 0'clock?"

Cam got showered and dressed in record time and made his way into town. He got to the coffee shop a little early and waited for Harper.
 
Harper waited patiently as the phone rang and was picked up bye Cameron's father, politely telling him that she was a friend of his and she needed to speak to him. She softly asked Cam about any symptoms and was quick to agree to see him for coffee. She cleaned herself up a bit and grabbed her outdoor sweater just when the phone started to ring again. SHe glanced at the clock and she had some time to spare before she had to meet with Cam downtown. She picked up the phone quickly and cleared her throat

"Hello?"
 
Kat straigtened up at sat down on the couch at the sound of a female's voice and spoke politely, "Hi! Uh, I'm calling for the ad in the newspaper about the house sitting. I would like to know more about it." Even though she'd probably end up taking it anyway whether it sounded lousy or not, she wanted to at least sound like she had some sort of standards set. She pulled on her jeans as she waited for a reply and looked over the other ads again. Wasn't there any other decent jobs left here? This was going to be the last time she would make a mistake like this.
 
While he was waiting around for Amber he listened in on conversations around him. There were a few about them being doomed or how some were going home to have some "lasting fun" and still others were just going on about their daily lives. Nothing was too strange except for the fact that the nearest people were about twenty or so feet away that he was listening to. After a while of eavesdropping he shook his head and closed his eyes to try and tune them out to no avail. Finally after a little bit of waiting he decided to put in his ipod headphones and listen to some music which seemed to be cancelling out most of the other people although he had the volume on next to nothing.

Not even a half hour after he put the headphones in he heard some rather loud footsteps and looked up to see Amber charging towards him with a smile on her face. As soon as she got closer she practically pounced on him and wrapped her arms around his body giving him a warm hug but unlike usual he didnt stumble or even flinch so much as an inch or two when she pounced him, he laughed playfully and hugged her back as she greeted him and teased him about his job.

"Well your oh so lovable police officer is doing rather well. I feel like a new man and im ready to be a pack mule as you blow your money on clothes and the such haha. Anyways i got some extra cash to spend so im gonna buy some stuff for myself so i'll most likely end up dragging you into a few stores too haha."

After he finished the hug he set her down and ruffled her hair playfully and then turned the ipod off, it cancelled out just enough noise to feel like before the experiment for his listening anyways. Afterwards he looked at her and smiled. "So where to first my oh so rambunctious friend?"
 
Harper couldn't help but smile as she heard the female on the other end ask about her ad. She had been worried that no one would be interested and that she would have to ask her parents for help again. She didn't want to bother them any more and her father was already covering the rent and most of the bills for her apartment. However, she had to paycheck from the lab now, and a rather large one at that. She could easily pay for a helping hand on her own now.

"Oh! I see, Well It's not a very big job you see. I've got a bad immune system so I get sick easily, on top of that I'm not the best cook either so my meal choices are limited. I'm looking for someone who can keep the place tidy when I'm down with something and cook more than A simple cup of broth like me..." She said as she glanced at the clock again, she had to get going to meet with Cam soon. "Anyway, You actually caught me on my way out the door...If you'd like you could come over later today and see the place. We could also talk about payment and things like that. Do you think you could come here are 5 o'clock possible?
 
Jerry spent the next several hours tightening bolts on pipes with his bare hands. He didn't use a light either in the dark tunnels, he could see just fine. After tightening one last bolt he straightened back up and looked at his hand, observing the lack of abrasions and pain. He then looked at his watch noting the time and picked up his toolbox of unused tools and started walking out of the tunnel. His phone rang as he started going got closer to surface level. He answered the phone "Mr.Green......Of course I did why shouldn't I?....How ever pleasant your surprise is I find it disappointing you find it a surprise for me to remember your name. I assume you were calling about your pipes.....Yes I'll be right there." Jerry said goodbye and hung up the phone.

Jerry was soon out in the countryish side soon, even though he went on foot. He knocked on the door and Mr.Green invited him inside, Jerry politely accepted. Mr. Green described to him the damage of the pipes and Jerry enlightened him with some knowledge about underground piping that would save him some cash in the future before Jerry went out to fix the pipes.
 
Cam was upstairs in the shower, getting ready to go meet Harper, when he heard a knock at the door. Must be the guy to fix the pipes, although Cam was wondering why his father hadn't said anything. He was out and dressed in minutes, wearing his normal farm boy attire; White shirt, blue jeans, brown boots. As Cameron looked from the eagle eye view out his bedroom window, he saw that the worker was already well into the tedious job. Already he had some pipes apart and his tools were out and ready. The man looked familiar, upon closer inspection he realized it was Jerry, from the testing lab. A fleeting feeling of fear swam through Cam's head as the thought that his dad might know about the testing entered his mind. He shook it off, and decided to go down and see if Jerry needed any help. He passed his father on the way out, giving him a quick 'good morning' and promptly turning down a quick breakfast of hot oatmeal. Although he hadn't eaten since lunch the day before, he had no appetite.

"Sure your not Hungry, Cam?" His dad called out at the last minute. Was that a hint of concern in his voice? Cam wasn't sure, but just so he wouldn't worry his father he turned back and said.

"I had a big lunch yesterday, thanks pop."

He was out the door and headed to the west end of the field. When he got closer he saw that it really was Jerry.

"Jerry! What a surprise to see you here. Thanks for Coming out man. You need some help? I was going to meet up with Harper a little later, but I could spare some time."
 
Amber raised an eyebrow as Shinji's arms wrapped round her, rather surprised he hadn't stumbled as he normally did when she pounced him. He had barely blinked. She filed the new information away in the back of her head for later, and turned her attention to what he was saying. His hand landed in her hair and she pouted as he ruffled it. She should have known by now not to wear her hair up around him, she supposed. She tugged the scrunchie out of her hair and glanced up to meet his gaze.

"A new man, huh? I should take advantage of that while I can..." She smirked at him, mischief flitting across her face for a few short seconds. It was quickly replaced with a distant thoughtful look as she contemplated their destination. "I need to grab something to eat, and then probably grab a few sets of clothes. Seems all I have now is sweats and shorts." She plucked at the offending clothing, realising for the first time that the hem on the denim was fraying horribly. "I look like an absolute scruff, after all. You sure you don't mind being seen with me?" She poked her tongue out at him and clung to his arm, her eyes twinkling.

I wonder if it's my imagination. He seems a bit... different.
 
Jerry was bent over the worn pipes and started loosening them and working them loose which was very easy to do today. He had already turned off the water flow so it was okay to remove the pipes. Jerry examined the pipes to make sure the sections of new pipe laying around were the right ones, and they were. The opening and closing of the door some distance away got his attention. He listened as Cameron got closer but didn't know it was him for sure until he spoke.

Jerry was still hunched over the piping but farther along "You need some help?..." Jerry pulled up a heavy piece of pipe out of the earth "Yes, hold this for me" and he threw the pipe over his head without looking at Cameron. He caught easily of course. "Hello Cameron. Notice anything different today?" Jerry reached over and took a new piece of pipe with one hand and stuck it into place. "Shinji has had the symptoms also. I'm going to assume Harper has them as well." Jerry looked over his shoulder at Cameron and then toward the house and moved aside so Cameron could help him "Does your father know about the testing?"
 
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