3.3: Surveillance Camera
Mari sat up in bed, stretching her legs out over the soft pink sheets. She turned to glance at Molly, who still had her back turned, fast asleep beside her.
The room had once belonged to a teenage daughter from the Duver family—obviously. It was big, a little too big, really, for a girl's bedroom. Posters of boyish male idols lined the walls in perfect symmetry.
Mari arched her back and stretched lazily, her t-shirt rising just enough to show the curve of her waist. She always woke up before dawn, even in this strange new world. Oddly enough, this house made her feel… normal. Like the zombie outbreak had never happened.
She headed for the bathroom, sat on the toilet, flushed, and washed her hands before walking into the kitchen.
Breakfast. She already had a menu in mind based on whatever was still in the pantry.
"Morning, Mari. You're up early."
She looked up and saw Gantsuke coming down the stairs in a white t-shirt and boxer shorts. His prosthetic leg made her think of some movie she used to watch as a kid. The name escaped her.
"Good morning, Mr. Gantsuke—ah!"
He came up behind her and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, rubbing the stubble of his unshaven jaw along her skin.
That rough scratch sent a thrill down her spine. She set the knife down beside the cutting board.
"Stop it… I need to finish cooking," she murmured, leaning her head back against his chest like a cat craving warmth.
He pressed against her, the hard shape of him pushing between her cheeks through her shorts. She shifted instinctively, her body reacting before her mind had caught up.
Gantsuke wasn't wearing any underwear. He could feel every soft curve of her through the thin fabric.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. She smelled sweet—warm, alive, real. A woman's body. So soft, so warm.
Too soft for a girl who just graduated high school, he thought, running a hand up under her shirt.
"Mr. Gantsuke… no," Mari whispered, arching her neck and trying to shift away from the heat of his lips trailing across her shoulder.
"I'm getting coffee," he said into her ear. The whisper made her shiver.
He kissed her cheek one last time and pulled away, walking toward the coffee machine next to the fridge.
"I'll make something really tasty for you," Mari called after him with a bright smile, her apron tied over a pair of shorts that barely reached mid-thigh.
That smile warmed him more than the coffee would.
"You're up already, tiger."
The voice came from the small radio sitting by the coffee machine.
"If I said I wasn't, I'd be lying."
"Haha! Thought so," Limo chuckled from the other end. "Grab your coffee and head up to the roof."
Something in his voice made Gantsuke tense. He glanced over at Mari—her expression mirrored his surprise.
"Don't freak out, tiger. I'm right behind you."
Gantsuke turned.
No one there.
"Higher."
He looked up—and saw a small surveillance camera mounted above the kitchen doorway.
You nosy bastard, Gantsuke thought, eyebrows knitting together. No way Limo had come all the way into the Duvers' house just to set that up.
"When did you turn into the neighborhood peeping tom, Limo?"
"I like watching people. Hate being watched myself," Limo coughed. "But don't get the wrong idea. I don't spy on folks for kicks—unless I have to."
"Grab your cup and come up. I've got something to show you."
Gantsuke looked down at the white ceramic mug beside the machine. Black text along the side read: GOOD MORNING.
He shrugged. Honestly, he didn't mind. If Limo was watching the place, that meant extra security. Gantsuke wasn't the paranoid type.
But he had to admit—he was impressed by the old man's reach.