Oliver didn't move an inch as he kept on staring at the ceiling, not a certain thought crossing his mind. But after some time he woke up from his daydreams and glanced at his clock. It was still early morning. He didn't have to do much, only some things to take care of, and usually he had promised Yohio to fix up the facade, but after their fight he didn't feel like doing so anymore.

He stood up from his squeaking bed eventually and ambled to his bathroom to get ready. The water pouring out of the shower head was freezing, but nothing uncommon for winter. They could be happy to have a functioning water supply system; complaining about the bad temperature regulation was simply picky, and yet Oliver longed for the summer days when he could enjoy a cold shower. Now it let him freeze even more and increased the risk to catch a cold, but he preferred being sick than not showering during the cold seasons.

Completely frozen, Oliver changed into his knee-length trousers and white shirt. It wasn't the best clothing for such a cold season, but he didn't really have anything else. With long clothes summertime would be unbearable and besides these clothes he had his coat that would keep him warm. Oliver stepped in front of the mirror and brushed through his ruffled hair. While doing so he pondered about what to do next. He wanted to avoid Yohio for the time being, but that was nearly impossible in their small house. Usually he collected the parcels in the afternoon but decided to do it much earlier. Maybe that could help him getting over the fight as well.

Quietly Oliver toddled downstairs and tried to hide his wariness. He felt quite uneasy stepping towards Yohio, but he didn't want to look like a coward after all. The blond noticed the older one working on the water pipe in the kitchen and walked to the entry to put his coat and hat on, as Yohio stood up and eyed the younger one suspicious.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm collecting the parcels. What does it look like?" Oliver tried to make it sound as dismissive as possible. Yohio looked at him worried, but Oliver only rose an eyebrow and was about to go outside; Yohio stopped him.

"Isn't it too early?"

Oliver sighed annoyed and took a look at the red orbs of his counterpart that didn't express anger anymore but pure concern. For a moment the blond was surprised to see that, but he didn't want to let his facade fall off, crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned on the wall behind him.

"I know pretty well when to go."

Uncomfortable silence fell between the two, in which they only stared at each other. Eventually Yohio nodded hesitant and swung the screwdriver in his hand around. "Take care," He said in a tone he always used when he wanted to act like Oliver's older brother. With such the younger one usually forgave him all at once and Yohio knew such as well, but this time it didn't work. Oliver was growing up and he didn't want to be tricked by such childish games anymore.  All he did was nodding and stepping outside. He murmured a simple goodbye, though. He was afraid he would feel bad afterwards if he left that out.

Oliver turned the corner of their house and walked to the shed adjusting to the house facade. It was in an even poorer condition than the house itself but Yohio and the blond had planned to renovate the walls before the first snowfall would occur. 

He tried to ignore the itching pain in his feet due to the cold soil. It always took him some minutes to get used to the temerpature fall, but these minutes felt like hours. If he had the money for it, the first thing he would buy were a pair of shoes. It's a miracle he hadn't died from the coldness yet. In general, he was rarely sick. Maybe that kind of physical torture strengthened his immune system. 

He unlocked the squeaking door of the shed and pushed it open with some difficulty. There he already saw the wooden cart standing in the middle of the room. Oliver took it with him outside the shed and locked it once again. Some time ago Yohio had built that cart for Oliver to make it easier to transport the packets. After all, in each packet was enough catering for a month. With all the food, medicine and things for daily usage several kilogram per packet wasn't uncommon. 

Oliver took a look at the passing scenery. It was always the same. He had only a certain perimeter he could move around in, outside of that it was dangerous. The farther he went the higher the risk was not to return home safely; and that was the least what he wanted. 

The risk of getting caught by infected people was high enough already, Oliver didn't want to imagine what it looked like in forests where these monsters lingered for their victims. Oliver shook by the thought of their faces. It was quite remarkable what a simple virus did to a complex living being as a human. 

The blond was no biologist - he hasn't even attended school since the outburst of the epidemic - but even he knew that it wasn't something to think about with ease. He couldn't imagine what kind of complicated disturbances the virus caused in the human genes. Only by observations he could at least try to protect himself. As a rule, uncommon behavior, lifeless eyes and the strange way of talking were important signs that occurred at every infected one. 

Besides that, Oliver once saw an infected person with nearly completely peeled off skin, or rotten limbs that tried their best to grab for a healthy body. Sometimes the blond felt like being in a bad zombie movie, but these infected people were way more smart. Much to the survivors dismay, they didn't lose their intellectual capacity and ability to make up good strategies; that made them even more dangerous. 

Oliver sighed and looked up. Soon enough he'd reach the location the packets usually lay. All he had to do was handing every package to the other survivors. In return he often got a treat in form of food. He was dependent on such, but disliked to be the mailman. The monthly ration of him and Yohio was nearly not enough anymore, especially the last days were the worst. Once they asked Luka to send a letter to the control point that sent letters outside of Japan. It contained the request to send more food, but in the end they didn't get much more.

Oliver could imagine very well how the rich people in the west tossed money out of the window while wearing expensive suits, but didn't bother helping people that were stuck in the epidemic. Those few packets were the least they could do and even that was obviously too much to ask for. Only the thought of it filled Oliver with anger and he gritted his teeth. He knew he couldn't hold back anymore if he had ever the change meeting such a person. He'd show them what he had to endure all this time. 

For two years now he went through literal hell each day while other children could have anything they desired. He wished for such a life. A life without any trouble, in which he could enjoy his youth with others his age. There was a time it was like that for him. Before the epidemic, he had lots of friends, huge amounts of toys and happiness. He has already forgotten what real happiness - nearly euphoria - feels like. 

He missed the feeling when he had gotten a new toy or presenting with pride the great achievements in school to his parents. The following praise had been the highlight of the day. But the situation changed. There was nothing with what somebody could brag or enjoy their time with. 

The thought of his current situation was always stuck in his head. And that worsened everything.